Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Notches Top-Five Finish in MVP Voting

Oklahoma City's rising superstar finished the season with an exclamation point.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took his game to a level nobody thought possible this season. He went from a fringe All-Star candidate to a choice on the MVP ballot, and by doing so, raised the Thunder's ceiling exponentially.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished No. 5 in MVP voting with 46 total points. The honor included six fourth-place votes and 28 fifth-place votes. The league has yet to release All-NBA teams, but it's looking more and more like the Thunder guard has locked up a First Team spot.

The 24-year old cornerstone averaged 31.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds rebounds per game. Equally as impressive, SGA managed to shoot 51% from the floor and 34.5% from the free throw line, keeping his free throw percentage at 90.5% on increased attempts.

Gilgeous-Alexander took the leap on the defensive side of the ball, too, averaging 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He quietly became one of the NBA's premier two-way players, and seems to be only getting started.

The Thunder guard trailed only Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid — all premier forwards or centers in the NBA. Finishing ahead of Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic and Steph Curry, Gilgeous-Alexander had the most votes of any guard in the NBA.

While his eyes are set on winning the award later on down the road, Gilgeous-Alexander joins Steve Nash as the only Canadian player to ever receive MVP votes in the league.

Oklahoma City was projected to win less than 25 games by virtually every news outlet before the season began, and SGA's ascension to stardom brought the Thunder back to the postseason. The team won 40 total games and knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament before falling a game short of the playoffs in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The season was a resounding success, though, and largely because of Gilgeous-Alexander's progression. If he's able to take another leap in his game, the Thunder's ceiling becomes nonexistent.

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