Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most skilled guard ever
I’m well aware of Michael Jordan
Often my work advising NBA players involves detailed preparation for whoever they’re going to guard next.
When that player is Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, I start by building up their spirit, because they will get demoralized.
I have only ever used this approach against Kevin Durant in his prime, Kobe Bryant in his prime. You just can’t win. In the best-case scenario, you’ll feel like oh man, I’m really pitching a good game here; I think I’ve got his number today. But the truth is you probably don’t, Shai’s probably going to make monster shots late in the fourth quarter.
So the rule is: you can’t allow emotion, frustration, or over-confidence to dictate any of your actions. Because as soon as you start doing that, you start making more mistakes. It’s very hard for super competitive NBA players to feel OK about themselves when they are getting destroyed. They tend to foul—which is of course the secret sauce that make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the most skilled guard of all time.
This is no knock on Michael Jordan. When I started coaching high school in 1987, Michael Jordan was 24 and about to earn his first MVP trophy. So it’s second nature to see him as the role model for everything. What a gift he was to me and my young players. His ferocity was already legendary. So was his footwork, especially his permanent left pivot foot (a concept I still teach today).
And of course, MJ’s athleticism. Best in class, and then some, to the degree they called him “Air.” Larry Bird and Magic Johnson made the NBA famous, but MJ rearranged it such that stars like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade emulated MJ.
Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson were more quarterback-like, Stephen Curry and Ray Allen shot the shit out of it. Where SGA fits on that is to be determined–we have no idea how many title and MVP trophies he’ll end up with.
But Shai’s already atop one of the most important lists of all: He is the most skilled guard of all time, and at 27, has room to get better.
First, a note on positions. Shai is most commonly the primary play creator for the world’s best team, as he has been for a few years. In that he’s just like Kobe, Wade, and most high-level “shooting” guards, to include Steph. So I no longer care about point guard vs shooting guard. What we’re really talking about, with all of the top top candidates discussed here, are primary ball-handlers. That’s the job.
Let’s dig in:
LEADERSHIP
Shai’s the Tim Duncan of his era; the best leader.
I see Magic Johnson as the best leader in modern NBA history. His game was surreal, but thousands of times I watched him breathe spirit into teammates. That’s what turned the Lakers into champions. I’m utterly convinced that without Magic, many of the Showtime-era Lakers simply wouldn’t have been as good.
Jordan and Bird had their own styles as leaders, LeBron too. But Magic surpassed them all. Kobe was interesting. Many of his teammates revered him, and have regaled me with tales of his colossal kindness. But it’s no secret he could be a demanding prick, abrasive to friend and foe, and he also took more bad shots than any of the greats, which is no way to inspire.
SGA is on Magic’s level. One of his teammates I know well. He’s a very talkative guy. But when I asked about Shai as a teammate, that player really struggled for words. That one got to him, until he kind of choked out “I never imagined someone so much better than everyone else could be so … normal.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo, when he was the world’s best player, had a way to fire up his teammates. Stephen Curry has been magical. LeBron, of course. But Shai has been helped a little bit by where he’s from. He doesn’t have the Steph Curry story, where you’re so overwhelmed by his greatness. Shai’s the humble every man, he can live in this world better.
I had a Curry teammate mention that Steph knows less about his teammates than anyone else. This was zero percent a complaint—everyone loves playing with Steph. But even on their title-winning teams, this player said Steph knew less about this team than anyone else on the team, especially as it relates to the dynamics of each individual player.
LeBron and Steph are larger-than-life, iconic men who are probably spending hours most days taking business calls and overseeing investments. No one is complaining about that! But if the question is: how is that player’s girlfriend doing, then Steph and LeBron can’t answer it, and Shai can.
I mentioned Shai’s normalcy to Henry Abbott and he answered “I love hearing him talk after games.” So do I. He can talk like a professor, but then quickly return to his comfortable zones of total humility and epic presence. He’s very mindful of where he is right now. All of those qualities make it inviting and delightful for his teammates to feel the freedom to explore the limits of their powers.
I have lots and lots of lots of guys that have to guard Shai, and a few who have been his teammates. They just don’t have a single bad thing to say about him. In fact, just the opposite.
In that, Shai is a next-level role model for players–and coaches–everywhere.
NUMBERS
No player in NBA history has ever had a full season with Shai’s current stat line of:
over 30+ points
and 6.7 assists per game,
making 54 percent from the field,
38 percent from 3,
and 89 percent from the line, with more than nine attempts per game.
Jordan never came close.
