Stephen A. Smith Comes to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Rescue as Shannon Sharpe Tears Down Thunder’s Playoff Credibility

The OKC Thunder have announced themselves to the world as a legitimate title contender. They clinched the first seed in a fiercely competitive Western Conference on the last day of the regular season. Securing the first seed guarantees that they will encounter one of the Warriors, Kings, Lakers, or Pelicans in the first-round of the playoffs. But despite their impressive regular season showings, many believe that the Thunder would falter in the postseason. ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe happens to be one.

In a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, Sharpe made his opinions about the OKC Thunder very clear. He said, “Do you actually think that the OKC Thunder is going to make it all the way through the Western Conference? This is the weakest No. 1 seed we have seen in a very long time. They had a great season. But I don’t believe they beat the Mavs, they beat the Nuggets. I don’t believe they beat the Lakers.” 

Shannon Sharpe’s remarks about the OKC Thunder have caught many fans by surprise. Many feel that the Thunder don’t deserve such disrespect after the season they have had. For, the the Thunders finished  57-25, securing their first spot in the playoffs since 2019-20. Thus, and beyond, co-host Stephen A. Smith disagreed with Sharpe.

He said, “I get where you’re coming from about the Lakers and the Nuggets. But I think they’d be the favorites against anybody else in the West. Even the Mavericks. Even the Clippers. Have you seen these brothers play? Have you seen Shai Gilgeous Alexander, my vote for league MVP? They’re a bit thin, but skill-wise, these brothers can roll with anybody.”

Are the OKC Thunder legitimate title contenders?

The OKC Thunder have surprised many by how quickly they have become one of the best teams in the league. Just four seasons ago, the Thunder were languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. However, great team management by GM Sam Presti, aided by Mark Daigneault’s excellent coaching, has rapidly transformed their fortunes. Of course, it helps when you have a player of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s caliber who iterated, “We got this far for a reason. Just don’t veer off of it,” securing the first seed.

The 25-year-old Canadian has quickly established himself as one of the most lethal scorers in the league. He has averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games this season. Shai’s outstanding performances throughout the season have placed him squarely in contention for the 2024 MVP award alongside Nikola Jokić and Luka Doncic.

Apart from SGA, the Thunder also possess quality youngsters like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort, all of whom are under the age of 25. In fact, the Thunder possesses the second youngest roster in the NBA, with an average age of 24.12 years at the beginning of the season. And that’s one of their biggest weaknesses. Their relative inexperience is the postseason could derail their hopes of a title. However, this OKC Thunder side is only going to get better in the future. They would surely be in the race for an NBA championship for seasons to come.