In the current NBA league, only superstar players are worthy of a supermax contract. Players who haven't even made it to the All-Star game and receive a supermax contract will only face criticism and doubt. For example, Jamal Murray received a supermax contract worth $208 million over 4 years during the offseason, but his efficiency has declined this season. There are also guards like Beal and LaVine, who are strong on offense but weak on defense, and their max contracts are very overpriced. Superstars like Jokic and Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, are undoubtedly deserving of their supermax contracts.
The best team in the Western Conference is the Thunder, with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, far ahead of other teams. The Thunder recently won 12 consecutive games and have a chance to catch up to the Cavaliers' longest winning streak of the season (15 games). Although Holmgren has not yet returned, the Thunder are getting better and stronger. This is because the Thunder's star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has recently exploded with MVP-level stats and skills. Additionally, Harten has been playing exceptionally well for the Thunder, serving as a pillar in the paint and compensating for Holmgren's absence.
According to NBA data experts from American media, the Thunder have a record of 16 wins and 1 loss in the games that Harten has played this season. This indicates that the system of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Harten, and Dort is improving and becoming more cohesive. In the last five games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 36.6 points with a shooting percentage of 63.6%, which is both sharp and efficient. He has continuously scored 30+ or 40+ points, playing like a true MVP superstar. When the Timberwolves lost to the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals, impressing Edwards.
In the game between the Thunder and the Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored an impressive 45 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks, leading his team to victory. In the matchup against the Wizards, he efficiently scored 41 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, excelling on both offense and defense. Against the Mavericks, he scored 39 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block, leading his team to a big win. In the game against the second-place Grizzlies in the West, he scored 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks. Recently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been scoring 30+ and 40+ points with ease.
This season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.3 points (second in the league), 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals (second in the league), and 1.2 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 52.8%. His average plus-minus this season is +12.1, ranking first in the league. He is also averaging 14.9 points per game on drives, which ranks first in the league. It's worth noting that this is the third consecutive season that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has led the league in scoring on drives. In the 23-24 season, he averaged 16.5 points on drives. In the 22-23 season, he averaged 17.1 points on drives.
So far this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored over 1000 points, ranking first in the league and far ahead of others. Second place is Fox with 875 points, third is Jokic with 867 points, and fourth is Tatum with 849 points. According to NBA salary experts from American media, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible to sign a maximum contract extension worth 296millionover4yearswiththeThunder,whichwouldmakehimthefirstplayerinNBAhistorytoearnanannualsalaryof80 million. Fans believe that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has indeed performed at an MVP level this season, and his supermax contract is well-deserved and beyond question.
