What did OKC Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander take away from NBA All-Star Game?
INDIANAPOLIS — Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was perfect for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It was meant for him.
The jogs up the floor, sometimes stuttering to a full stop. Stars ambling toward the ball. Luka Doncic chucking up a near full-court shot, as unserious as it looked, was eventually labeled a self-proclaimed 2-for-1 attempt — perhaps the most strategic thing that came of the Eastern Conference’s record-setting 211-186 win.
For Adam Silver, who rambled about a change in the game’s expected competitiveness in his press conference Saturday, it was a nightmare. For Gilgeous-Alexander, it was his dream.
The Thunder star methodically slowed, hypnotic sways and signature rhythmic dribbles no longer had to clash with a change of pace or a spontaneous turbo boost. On Sunday, SGA’s sea-sick swings were enough to keep up with his peers. And enough to blow by them if he wanted.
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished the night with 31 points, four rebounds and four assists, a typical read of an SGA box score. He shot 12 3s and made seven of them, a not-so-typical read of an SGA box score.
Amid the groaning from a viewership concerned of the All-Star game’s fall from glory, Gilgeous-Alexander took a break from his usual ways. He abandoned his heavy isolation, trading the weight of his misdirections and kick outs for the ease of spotting up in the corner. He even launched a logo 3.
Despite his eyes being peeled, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted he hardly learned anything — save for the couple of Chris Finch sets he saved for his postseason memory — about his Western Conference constituents given the nature of the setting.
“The game was so not serious, I didn’t learn nothing, not gonna lie,” Gilgeous-Alexander. “We were just running around trying to score.”
The weekend felt fitting, too.
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He teleported from green room to practice court to guest appearance to interview. He shook hands, he waved, he showed enough teeth to reveal his gold grills. He saw himself on billboards and posters. He saw his five-star profile materialize outside of Oklahoma City, the lone world he’s chosen to acknowledge this season.
“It’s a dream come true,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Every kid dreams and sees (LeBron James) on a billboard in Cleveland. You dream that one day it could be you. For it to come to life and me being able to see it, it’s something I can’t describe.”
Indianapolis — its rigid weather and the bountiful attention — hardly changed him. He was the sole Western Conference player to unbutton his shooting shirt and show off his undershirt. He abandoned any coat in the name of fashion, donning a 1-of-1 jacket courtesy of the late Virgil Abloh. He signed a multitude of autographs, the same way he goes down the line that leads to the tunnel at Paycom Center.
Around his most talented peers, Gilgeous-Alexander still looked like himself. Almost like he was made for all this.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment, this point in my career,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I know what comes with it. I embrace it.”
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines in NBA All-Star Game
