Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tabbed as Third Most Important Player in 2024 Olympic Basketball

As the leader of Team Canada, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard is amongst the top players in Paris.

Jul 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Canada guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) controls the ball against Greece in the first quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Olympic basketball may be far different than the style of play in the NBA, but Paris is seeing the same version of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the league has grown accustomed to.

In Canada's first win of the Olympics over Greece, the 26-year-old dropped 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists, one steal and two blocks on 5-of-10 shooting. Although R.J. Barrett one-upped him with 23 points of his own, Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the true leader of his country.

Although Team USA is the typical favorite, Canada has the potential to make a push at winning gold. Gilgeous-Alexander is the biggest reason why that's a possibility, clearly entering the Olympics as one of its most talented players.

Brad Botkin of CBS Sports listed the Oklahoma City Thunder guard as the third most important player in the entire Olympics, only below Nikola Jokic of Serbia and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece. Considering his talent and the importance of his role for Canada, it's a deserving placement.

Gilgeous-Alexander has quite the workload in the Olympics, having the task of being the lead ball handler, scorer and facilitator. It's not much different than his role in Oklahoma City, but doing that on this stage is a little different than in the NBA.

Luckily, international rules adhere to some of Gilgeous-Alexander's strengths. There's no three-second rule, so with defenses filling up the paint, he can use his unrivaled dribble penetration to kick out to open teammates and get hopeful easy points. Even if it might make his life more difficult in scoring inside, he's already proven that isn't a major issue.

With a legitimate case for the MVP award over the last two years, Gilgeous-Alexander has cemented himself as one of the best players in the world. Now truly in front of the world, he can make an even bigger impression, especially if Canada can win a medal.

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