The Golden State Warriors couldn’t find an answer for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
SGA had 28 points and 11 assists in just 28 minutes as the Thunder won 126-102 at Paycom Center.
He’s averaging 33 points per game this season and has a good chance of defending his Most Valuable Player award.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had nothing but praise for Gilgeous-Alexander after a recent matchup, comparing him to Jimmy Butler.
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Since becoming a superstar, Gilgeous-Alexander has been compared to several NBA legends, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
SGA is likely already in the Hall of Fame and has the potential to join the discussion on the top 10 greatest players of all time.
One player who hasn’t been compared before is Jimmy Butler, but Kerr sees some key similarities between them.
“He’s unbelievable,” Kerr said via OKC Thunderwire. “I think it’s body control and handling combined with great touch. He’s got it all. He’s really smart. He’s like Jimmy Butler. He’s like Jimmy Butler.”
Does Nico Harrison deserve to be fired?
“He understands the league. He understands what a foul is. He understands how to get people out of position and get them off balance and cause fouls. He’s probably the best in the league in that regard.”
“Jimmy is there for him. There’s an art to it, and he’s mastered that art.”
Kerr also explained that SGA and Butler are equally talented at drawing fouls, so defenders must remain fully focused when defending them.
“You have to stay away from fake pumps,” he continued. “You have to be careful with the spins. He loves to spin and he loves to hook his arm in the spins like Jimmy.”
“On that spin, you have to be careful to show your hands so the officials can see what’s going on. You have to accept the fact that he’s going to score 30 points no matter what. Make a lot of 15-foot fallaways instead of 12 free throws.”
The Thunder are still the team to beat, as they won 11 of the first 12 games of the regular season to begin their title defense.
Kerr even suggested that OKC could dominate the NBA for years to come because they are better in all areas.
“Continuity in ownership, front office, coaching staff and our best players really helped,” Kerr said, according to OKC Thunderwire.
Where will Anthony Davis be traded after Nico Harrison is fired?
“If we can line up all of these things and really unify them, we can overcome the inevitable adversity that we’re going to face, and they clearly have that.
“They have a great base and infrastructure – coaching, management, ownership. They have great players, great talent and it’s all connected, so they’ll continue to do this for a long time.”