Former NBA Coach Claims Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Anthony Edwards Are Future of League

Will the Thunder and Timberwolves stars be the next face of the NBA?

Oct 19, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA is about to enter a weird era. There's more talent than ever, and there's not a singular dominant player to be the new face of the NBA. It started with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson -- with their rivalry dominating the league during their era. Then Michael Jordan took over. Kobe Bryant was up next. Then LeBron James has since reigned as the league's best.

Who's going to be the next face of the league? That much is up for determination as time rolls on. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, both of which are leading their teams into the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Former NBA head coach George Karl joined Scoop B Radio to talk about both Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards and how they’re the future of the league. 

"Probably my favorite player this year might be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander down there in Oklahoma City. I like Anthony Edwards a lot but, SGA plays both ends of the court, he’s a quiet leader and I think Oklahoma is a little bit better than people think,” Karl explained.

With Karl sharing such praise for Gilgeous-Alexander, he also admitted he could see the Thunder being a Western Conference Finals team, though he questions the teams ability to stop Nikola Jokic.

“I don’t think that it’s unreasonable to think that they might make it to the Western Conference Finals -- I mean, they’ve had success against Denver. They’re big… I still don’t know how you can stop Jokić, but you put a big on him that probably could help them along the way," Karl continued.

The Thunder’s arrival is very real. They’re set to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA playoffs, and, no matter the result, they project to be a playoff team and contender for years to come. Gilgeous-Alexander being the team’s best player will put him at the forefront of narratives and keep him in the loop as being an annual Most Valuable Player contender.