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24YO Thunder Forward Unveils Lesser-Known Aspect of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Game: “He’s Really Smart When…”

Published 12/11/2023, 3:21 PM EST

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Utah Jazz is going to face Oklahoma City Thunder on December 11 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma. OKC has won three of the previous four matches against Jazz and dominates the Western Conference at the second spot. They are only behind the Minnesota Timberwolves with the young breed of talent ambitious for the top spot.

Thunder star Aaron Wiggins recently shared that they won’t be taking the game lightly. Despite the losing streak and the poor 7-15 record of the Jazz, Wiggins felt underestimating them wouldn’t be an option. He also had nice words for the arsenal of Thunder –Shai Gilgeous Alexander.

Aaron Wiggins’ admiration for Shai-Gilgeous Alexander

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In the game against the Golden State Warriors, Alexander drove his team to a dramatic victory by scoring 38 points, 15-30 FG, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  He was instrumental in the 138-136 win of his team. While praising his incredible abilities, Wiggins said that Alexander was smart in playmaking and creating opportunities. He said,” I just think he’s really smart when he’s kinda picking and choosing the opportunities he tries to make a play on the ball.”

Alexander is currently among the top scorers in the NBA. He has 33.5 points per game in his kitty. As a backbone of the Thunders, Shai has mastered the art of offense as well as defense. His defensive capabilities haven’t got much traction but Wiggins tried to bring that into conversation.

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Aaron Wiggins on Alexander’s defense

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a stunning record in the defense even though he primarily plays as a scorer. In the NBA steals, he has 2.5 per game. Also, the Thunder star has a record of 0.8 blocks per game. While he tries to be the sharpshooter for his team, he also aims to be the great wall against the opponents.

His record pushes him ahead of the top-notch defenders in the NBA world including Paul George, Jalen Suggs, and Marcus Smart. Wiggins had the same assessment of his teammate and said that he was a better defender than thought by people. Further, he added that during his rookie years, he would let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander know,  ‘Dude, you can guard!’ Certainly, he can guard and his fans would love to watch him display the avatars in the Jazz encounters.

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What do you think about the defense and offense capabilities of Shai Gilgeous Alexander? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Junaid

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As a child, the appeal of sports was far greater to me than that of bookish learning. What held my fascination then was the art of writing, and it is something that continues to do so. It is that love that led me to pursue a writer’s role at EssentiallySports.
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Edited by:

Ruth John