The shock of the Paul George trade may still be lingering for Thunder fans — especially since it led to the team trading Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets — but as Oklahoma City looks to rebuild, there is one player the organization acquired in the deal with the Los Angeles Clippers who should be part of the rebuilding process: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
A college teammate of Hamidou Diallo at Kentucky, the 6-foot-6 guard out of Hamilton, Canada was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He played all 82 games for the Clippers in 2018-19, starting in 73 contests — along with Los Angeles’ six playoff games against the Golden State Warriors.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 47.6 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep while averaging 10.8 points, 1.2 steals and 3.3 assists per game, playing 26.5 minutes a night in the regular season. He made half of his three-point attempts Los Angeles’ brief playoff stint and had an overall 46.7 field-goal percentage, averaging 13.7 points, 3.2 assists and one steal per game, logging 28.8 minutes a game.
Gilgeous-Alexander was given a chance to grow and develop in his rookie year, now he has a chance to take the next step forward in his career — and he knows it. After thanking his old team on Twitter for the opportunity they gave him, Oklahoma City’s new guard made clear he’s ready to start a new chapter:
