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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a very talented player like many others before but with an incredible mindset like few others before him. I believe that's what made him great and something that could be overlooked when he was a prospect (only the 11th pick in the draft).

He's very skilled, has the physical tools and what seems to be a great, great work ethic. Seems humble enough, defends well, is pretty clutch and leads by example.

On top of that he seems to have that it factor of the very few greats like Kobe, Duncan, LeBron, Jokic to understand the game dynamics and know what the team needs. He's not perfect but has an incredible mid-range game, good handles and is very good at drawing fauls. He's very consistent in the regular season at least.

He still has room for improvement, even. He looks better in the Daigneault environment than with team Canada, truth be told. That "it" is the self-awareness, the fact that he knows he can keep on improving and will put the work in order to achieve it.

And I'm not even a fan of the guy, but you gotta recognize it when you see it.

Do you think that he has it or am I just hyping up a very good but not that special player that happens to be the top guy of a historical defense in a somewhat down year for the rest of the league?

Interested in hearing your thoughts.

I do agree that he has “it”. Takes the game seriously and truly wants to win and seems humble enough and it seems like he recognizes that he needs to keep improving.

A couple of these playoff games he wasn’t agressive enough but has come back strong.

Best NBA Canadian player in history.

I'm not sure about that. I think he just worked so hard both physically, on his game and mentally that it gives the feeling he has the "it factor" but it's less natural and more based on his very very hard work. He switched the button middle of the Nuggets series and I think he makes everything about his life to be mentally ready.

Drawing fouls is not a skill but an exploit of the dumb rules that favor offensive players. Remove that and you get the Canadian Olympics SGA who struggles to get separation.

Does this guy also has it?

He has the tools and some, so it'd be disappointing to see him fail at this level (almost the same type of disappointment when Canada fell in the QF of the Olympics). The Thunder are favored BIG to win the NBA title, they have a better team, better bench and better everything-- that's not a knock on SGA overall but it's really the perfect storm for him unlike other peers/stars.

everything looks too easy for him and there's so much space

Alatan wrote:Drawing fouls is not a skill but an exploit of the dumb rules that favor offensive players. Remove that and you get the Canadian Olympics SGA who struggles to get separation.

It's absolutely a skill. Yes it's easier to get calls in the NBA than it is with FIBA rules/officials, but the ability to deliberately put your defenders in a position where they're forced to foul you is a skill. If it's an exploit of the rules, then it's one that players can be anywhere from great at to terrible at like with any other skill. Even an elite player can't just snap their fingers, start playing a certain way, and get the foul calls that some players are able to get. LeBron in his absolute prime, as fast and strong as he was, couldn't touch Harden's FTR. Harden's had 10 seasons with a FTR equal or higher to LeBron's single highest season. That's because it's a skill Harden has that LeBron doesn't.

FTA wouldn't survive a NYC weekend tourney but his composure and eagerness to appear soft in the eyes of NBA refs serves him well.

Similar to other protected superstars, he is afforded calls that other players simply will not receive. I blame the NBA, not him.

I commend Shai for using the current officiating "system" to his advantage but his brand of embellishment should never be encouraged.

Using the term "it" to describe his style of play is two (2) letters shy of the truth...and I wish he was on my team.

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I had my questions and concerns during the Nuggets series.

But he showed why he deserved the MVP in game 7. You don't disappear when you have "it". Shai's got it. No question.

He's well on his way to being the second best shooting guard ever. He's a legit MVP level guy. I'll leave others to figure out if he's got the magical "" words.

"it" he just got awarded mvp and made it to finals... What kind of waste of thread is this ...

IMO, great player, but in a even better context. He doesn't need to have 'it'. Let's see in the finals, but they are still the heavy favoured team

SkyBill40 wrote:

Blazing_royale wrote:Best NBA Canadian player in history.

Oh come on, Nash is one of my all time favorite players, but this is no contest.

UcanUwill wrote:

SkyBill40 wrote:

Blazing_royale wrote:Best NBA Canadian player in history.

Oh come on, Nash is one of my all time favorite players, but this is no contest.

FTA is a great player, but he's going to need some hardware to get to Nash's level. And he's nowhere close to being as good as a true PG. It's a bit premature to make such a declaration, so let's give it some time and re-evaulate. I will say that he's off to a good start though.

For now:

https://stathead.com/basketball/versus-finder.cgi?player_id2=nashst01&player_id1=gilgesh01&request=1&utm_id=gilgesh01&utm_medium=sr_xsite&utm_campaign=2023_01_wdgt_player_comparison&utm_source=bbr

He has the "it" factor the media desperately wishes Ant had.

He doesn't have "it". We wouldn't be looking for a star right now if he did. He has more than Tatum though.