Shy Gilgaus Alexander may have beaten Luka Donsic to his first title and MVP award, but the comparison between the two is not over.
The 2018 NBA Draft is very likely one of the best ever. Two greats, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, were found along with outstanding players such as Trae Young, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Donte Divincenzo, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Michael Porter Jr.
For most of their careers, it appeared Don Sic had an SGA beat. After all, he did five All-NBA first teams in a row, finishing three times in the top three of the MVP polls, dragging the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.
However, this season, Gilgeous-Alexander was the first to win the MVP, adding the ring first, and winning the best player title in the loaded draft class, but that doesn’t mean Doncic is behind.
Doncic is nearly a year younger than SGA, making his first All-Star game in his second season. It took Gilgauss Alexander five seasons to reach that mark.
“Luke’s negativity of over-easiness has gone too far,” Nick Wright argued. “Five best players in the league: Jokic won the title at age 30 at 28. Giannis won the title at age 30 at 26. Tatum won the title at age 27.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan were both 27 when they won their first title, while Stephen Curry was 26. The idea that players can lead the title team in his first few seasons is simply ridiculous. Players enter the league at age 18 or 19, so most of the development takes place at the largest stage, not at university.
There is also arguing that since Donsic dominated the league very quickly, some fans have not noticed that he and the SGA have joined the league at the same time. In collective memory, he is older than him.
“The idea that he is behind or out of schedule is wrong,” Wright continued. “Now, the Shy Star couldn’t shine brightly. I got it and he deserves it. But I can’t immediately compare Luka and Shy’s career numbers.
“So if you simply multiply the past two years for shy, which is the best two years of his career, and compares it to Luka’s last two years, including the worst of his career, the numbers are the same.
On top of that, SGA had more support. Kyrie Irving can be argued that he is a better player than Jalen Williams, but Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Lou Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein are better than Luka’s best teammates in Dallas.
Wright has given some good points, but Donsic needs to prove he is the winner.
With the Western Conference being excellent, the Houston Rockets have improved, the San Antonio spurring, and the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves not going anywhere, Don Sic doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for the old guard to retire.
But on paper, Doncic has been a better player than SGA recently.
| player | ppg | RPG | APG | FG% | 3pt% | SPG |
| Luka Donsic | 31.5 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 47.3% | 37.6% | 1.6 |
| Shy Gilgaus Alexander | 31.4 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 52.7% | 36.6% | 1.9 |
Returning to collective memory, what about it is that it is short. Donsic missed most of the year with an injury and all the storylines that followed him were about his deals, not his on-court success. Fans remember him crying when he returned to the American Airlines Center in 2024 than he remembers his dagger via Rudy Goatbert.
The Thunder will be horrifying next season, but will remind fans of who is the best young player in the world, hoping for a completely healthy season from the purple and gold Donsic.