The NBA tends to prioritize fast breaks, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) shines through more deliberate, cerebral play. SGA’s style, as an NBA All-Star, is distinctively cerebral, patient, and sharp, differing from the league’s frequent prioritization of athleticism and quickness.
Rather than riding on athleticism, SGA manages to dictate the flow of the game, staying one step ahead of opponents, dictating games with incredible composure. This is direct proof of the principle of utilizing the phrase ‘play smart’ over ‘play quick’ to describe him.
Meanwhile, SGA’s defensive ability, citing high ranking in the areas of blocks and steals for a guard, highlights his key contributions to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s success on both ends of the floor. These elements indicate an intelligent approach to the game beyond the mere scoring quickly.
The reality that SGA has brought the Thunder to the West’s best seed, on track to record an historic win total despite health issues, and is the runaway favorite for the 2025 NBA MVP award speaks to the success of his style of play. His past success, finishing second in last year’s MVP vote and making back-to-back All-NBA First Teaming, only adds to the evidence of him as an elite player who succeeds through means other than quickness.
The source indicates SGA’s average of efficiency, leadership, and excellence across the board has made him the leading MVP candidate, suggesting that his ‘smart’ and controlled style is the key to it.
The Unconventional N.B.A. Superstar Leading the M.V.P. Race
— Cordell (@mfin2323) March 6, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plays with a style unlike anyone else in the league. pic.twitter.com/6hFMfedfge
Reports indicate SGA is going home with the hardware once again, barring some drastic change. The league is to make the names of the award finalists known on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The MVP announcement will soon be made sometime between late April to early May—just as it was last year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t built like a star
Early, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was more about the footwork—his brakes—than the bucks. But even then, there was potential there. As Steve Nash once said,
“He is able to put you in a position to take the bait, and he then exploits you.”
Unlike all of today’s 30-point-per-game scorers—Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo—Shai does it without brute force. He’s not big, nor is he built to smash hoops fans over.
Even his trainer, Nem Ilic, was surprised at first. When they first partnered up before Shai made it to OKC, Ilic observed that he was so physically raw. Plying him into holding a plank was an issue. Getting his arms, legs, et al. to work onto the same page required an exercise.
“He started poorly with almost everything that we’ve done,” Ilic said. “Everything was hard.
And this was no can’t-miss recruit, either. Shai was the lowest-ranked top-100 recruit from his class at Kentucky. He didn’t make it into the top 10 of the 2018 draft. And he didn’t even make his freshman team’s JV squad. When he came to Oklahoma City, it was as a hush-the-crowd understudy to Russell Westbrook.
"Unorthodox. Offbeat. Slithery."
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 24, 2023
Watch Episode 7 of Pass The Rock, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opens up about his unorthodox game, unique style, and connection with the fans >> https://t.co/gpvkP95vBi pic.twitter.com/nRpnqwpC9A
But that old coach, Dwayne Washington, always saw the ascendant expression. That stopping on a dime, despite his long, bounding stride?
“Shouldn’t have happened,” Washington replied.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Master of pace, precision, and poise
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game is about getting into position to make the defender bite, then getting him to pay. Steve Nash captured it best when he said that Shai “puts you in a position to take the bait, then exploits you.”
That’s the key to why he’s so difficult to guard. He slows the game up, sets the trap, then gets into space before you even know it. At first glance, it appears to be leisurely. But ask everyone who’s attempted to guard him:
“It’s a lot different than [on] TV,” said former Thunder guard Tre Mann. “But when you’re guarding him it’s different. He’s fast, quick, really shifty.”
Skill Science Episode 2 is live.
— PD Web (@abovethebreak3) November 1, 2021
The Elongated Step & Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
These are the clips referenced in the show, highlighting SGA's stride length, fantastic balance & infinite "route tree" https://t.co/fDtVKqpZDd pic.twitter.com/YPTzQyO5zY
Shai can freeze up on a nickel and rip it off again without warning. That is rare talent—combined with long strides—is one that even his old coach described as “genetically rare.”
At P3, a sports research facility, they discovered that his leg flex at the ankles, along with his ability to brake, were off the charts—literally, one standard deviation higher than average, according to The Ringer.
That’s why he’s able to make those deep-lunge stepbacks. He comes to an abrupt halt, then releases it from odd angles with force that most players aren’t able to apply.
His signature “bump stepback” is another trick up the sleeve. The move is sleek—not because it’s vicious, but because it deploys just enough shoulder to promise the threat of damage without actually delivering it.
READ: The Fastest 3 in NBA History Belongs to Buddy Hield – Here’s Why That Matters
I am a writer passionate about telling the stories behind the game of basketball. From the culture and personalities shaping the sport to the moments that define it, I explore basketball beyond the box score.
