He may be only days away from winning MVP for the season, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder is actually going through a rough patch right now.
Speaking with ESPN, Gilgeous-Alexander opened up about his recent struggles and said that he hopes to be over them soon.
“I feel like I’m getting looks I usually make and just missing them,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points per game on 51.7% shooting during the regular season. “That’s part of basketball. It’s ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we’ve won two games by a decent margin. They’ve had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon.”
During Tuesday night’s easy win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 27 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
He still led his team, and the Thunder remain the heavy favorites to win their series, but Gilgeous-Alexander knows he isn’t shooting like he usually does.
It’s a small sample size, but Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 33.3 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from the three-point line during the playoffs.
Those are far below his regular-season numbers, but he could turn things around and improve quickly.
He’s the frontrunner for MVP for a reason, and no one should count Gilgeous-Alexander out.
Thankfully for him, the rest of his team is playing very well as he gets through this rut.
He knows he will be back in fine form soon.
The playoffs will likely be very long for the Thunder, so Gilgeous-Alexander has time to right the wrongs and start shooting like his regular self.
Thunder fans aren’t worried about their lead star or their team’s chances, but they’ll be happy when his shot starts falling more consistently soon.
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