"Playing at MVP level": Jason Kidd is propping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's underrated MVP campaign
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd recognizes that they have their hands full against the OKC Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who he described as currently "playing at an MVP level".
The Mavericks and Thunder collide in a battle of top Western Conference teams in Dallas tonight. The home team is fourth in the conference at 11-7 while OKC is a rung higher at third with a 12-6 win-loss record.
In the lead-up to the game, Kidd said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of their concerns as he poses a lot of problems to opposing teams.
The Dallas coach said:
“Yeah, you just got to throw different pitches. Shai is playing at an MVP level. When you look at his ability to get in the paint and score, it’s pretty good. So we have to get him in front, keep him off the free throw line, because he is shooting 94% from the free throw line.”
Making the job more difficult for the Mavericks is the fact that they are without a number of key players because of injuries, including Kyrie Irving. He has been reported to be dealing with right foot soreness.
In the ongoing season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been averaging 38.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
In their latest victory against the LA Lakers on Thursday(133-110), the Canadian basketball star led the charge with 33 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a steal.
Three-time NBA champion likens Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game to that of Kyrie Irving
Three-time NBA champion Danny Green recently said he was a fan of both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. He claimed that while Doncic is currently the more well-rounded player, the OKC Thunder star is the more skilled player between the two.
Green, 36, who won league titles with San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, shared this in a recent interview via Tidal League.
In making his case, the NBA veteran likened Gilgeous-Alexander’s game to Doncic’s teammate Kyrie Irving, saying:
“Both of these guys are MVP-caliber players. I think Luka for sure will get one, and I think Shai has a really strong case of getting one at some point in his career. I think Luka right now is the better all-around player that makes a team better. He is closer to Bron (LeBron James) than anybody in that fashion. More of a triple-double guy.”
“I think Shai has a deeper bag. Shai is that dude, bro. Just offensively, the skill. Luka is skilled, too. It’s not far off. I’m just saying that Shai has a deeper bag. He’s very skilled. He’s so hard to guard … More Ky in his game, with the finishes and the handle…”
Check out the interview below, beginning at the 1:13 mark:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a breakthrough season last year, underlined by his first NBA All-Star appearance. He averaged 31.4 points (career-high), 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and a block per game.
He helped the team reach the Western Conference play-in tournament as the 10th seed, where they beat the New Orleans Pelicans. They, however, fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the battle for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.