Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The biggest game of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s young career. Naturally, everyone expected the MVP frontrunner to be locked in heading into last night’s crucial Wolves encounter. But Thunder locker room’s pregame visuals raised major concerns about SGA’s mindset.

While head coach Mark Daigneault addressed his squad, Shai was seen lying on the floor with his hands behind his head. Meanwhile, the rest of the team was either standing or in a seated position. Soon after the video went viral, many criticized SGA’s body language, doubting his credibility as a leader. But Shai did not respond – at least not with his words.

Instead, he headed to the court and dropped 31 points to lead his team to victory and silence the critics.

After the big win, he detailed his role as OKC’s leader, “Yeah, it’s just true to my personality. Not always the loudest guy in the room or say too much. But my energy and effort and what I put on the floor speaks louder than anything. That’s just how I try to not only like, go about the game but go about life. Actions always mean louder than words, to me, especially. So, that’s just how I go about it.” Well, he definitely proved his point last night with an incredible performance!

What makes Shai so lethal is that he does not let adversities affect his mindset. Even in Game 1, he had a rough start as he shot 2 of 13 in the first half. But instead of getting completely demoralized, the superstar turned things around and helped the Thunder outscore the Nuggets 32-18 in the third quarter. “We haven’t had the greatest of third quarters in this playoff run so far. We wanted to make that emphasis like, come out at halftime with a punch, with a little jolt, with some energy, and not ease into it, and we’ll be better off towards the end of the game. We just made that emphasis, and we didn’t panic, obviously, with the struggles in the first half,” he said about the impressive turnaround.

Shai continued, “We knew that if we stuck with it, they would eventually fall, and they did.” That just shows his calmness as a leader and a person in general. Even Daigneault appreciates that about him.

Mark Daigneault praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s “emotional temperament” that was evident in WCF Game 1

Despite SGA’s concerning body language, Daigneault continued his pregame speech because he knew the superstar was locked in. That’s always been Shai’s personality, and the head coach understands it. He keeps himself in it. He’s got a great emotional temperament. I’ve always marveled at that about him. He was 2 for 13 I think at halftime or at one point in the game and he just keeps himself in it. He doesn’t get emotional. He just plays the next play. I thought he was really in attack mode tonight.”

Most players would crumble under pressure after missing 85% shots to start the game. But SGA is built from a different cloth, which makes him a superstar. He is not worried about his efficiency, as long as his team is on the winning side. Sure enough, that’s what Daigneault loves about him: “He’s a great player that just stays present. If you’re worried about your efficiency, you’re worried about the past or the future and he’s a very present player. He just plays the possession in front of him. He doesn’t change his game. He doesn’t change his mindset. I thought that was on full display tonight.”

Although Shai is just 26-years-old and is playing in his first ever Conference Finals, he has proven himself to be an amazing leader. That attribute will continue to grow as the Thunder move forward in these playoffs. Do you agree?