Long before Thunder fans got a glimpse of the player that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be, Doc Rivers already knew what he had.
Gilgeous-Alexander had to wait 10 games until earning his first start during his rookie season with the Clippers. From there, he never looked back.
SGA turned in a second-team All-Rookie year, playing in all 82 games while averaging 10.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest. He set the franchise record for points by a rookie in a playoff game with 25 in a Game 4 win over the Warriors in the first round.
That’s what it was so hurt so much for Los Angeles to give him up in the trade for Paul George.
According to The Athletic, Doc Rivers and the Clippers were “heartbroken” when the Thunder asked for SGA to be included in the deal.
“It’s tough because he’s such a great kid,” Rivers said. “It’s the price of doing business in the NBA. It’s a trade you have to do, right? But, you know, as excited as I was when we knew that the whole deal was going through, when Lawrence (Frank) told me that Shai’s name was still in it, you were sad, disappointed. He’s such a good kid.
Per Jovan Buha, Rivers believes that Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be “a superstar”. Those sentiments are echoed by his former teammate, Lou Williams.
“I think Shai is gonna be a star,” Williams said. “I’m just happy for him that he’s finally striding. He’s made so many jumps just over the summer working on his game, working on his body. You can see the difference in how he’s played. He’s grown. I’m so happy for him.”
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have his best game in a Thunder uniform during his return to Los Angeles Monday. He scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 90-88 loss to the Clippers.
But his start to the season has been better than most expected. He’s leading the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game while hitting 45.9% of his shots from the floor.
The Thunder believe that with time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can be a franchise player in the NBA.
Doc Rivers certainly thinks so.
