Former All-Star Says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Might Be Saving the NBA
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are heading to the 2025 NBA Finals. It will be their first appearance since 2012, and in large part, it is thanks to their superstar guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
More NBA news: Lakers Could Be in Position to Land Perfect Luka Doncic Co-Star
Gilgeous-Alexander has proven that he is not only an elite player but also one of the top players in the league. He has consistently demonstrated this to be the case all season long, winning the 2024-25 NBA MVP award and leading his team to the NBA Finals, where he also won the Western Conference Finals MVP.
The 26-year-old has done his part to be the difference maker in the league, but former All-Star guard Jeff Teague is taking it to the next level regarding Gilgeous-Alexander.
On a recent episode of his podcast "Club 520," Teague didn't hold back when discussing the league's MVP. Teague praised Gilgeous-Alexander, saying the Thunder star "saved the NBA" by excelling in the mid-range and ultimately capturing the MVP honor.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates with teammates after winning the Western Conference Finals MVP after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025...
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates with teammates after winning the Western Conference Finals MVP after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 28, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. More
Photo by"I wanna say something about SGA, though," Teague said. "I think SGA saved the NBA. I guess is what I'm saying. I'm not saying 'cause of how he performed, but the way he play, he saved the NBA 'cause the NBA is a copycat league and he perfected the mid-range game.
"So he brought back the ability to be able to shoot mid-range shots because the game was either a three or a layup. I got crucified in Minnesota for wanting to shoot a mid-range shot if it wasn't a three or a layup for analytics. And him being the MVP and his go-to shot is a mid-range shot, he literally just saved the NBA."
More NBA news: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Shoe Brand Takes Massive Shot at Anthony Edwards
Gilgeous-Alexander has undeniably elevated his team to new heights. Despite facing his share of criticism, his talent and overall impact speak volumes.
The 2024-25 campaign was one to remember for the 26-year-old guard. He helped guide his team to a league-best 68 wins while putting up historic numbers. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring with 32.7 points per game, recorded 20 or more points in 72 straight contests, and topped the league in 20-point games (75), 30-point games (49), 40-point outings (13), and 50-point performances (4). It was a season that firmly cemented his superstar status.
During the season, Gilgeous-Alexander put up remarkable numbers, averaging 32.7 points on efficient shooting from the field at 51.9 percent. He also contributed 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.
As far as the playoffs go, he is averaging 29.8 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 games and 36.5 minutes of action. If Gilgeous-Alexander can lead his team to four more wins, more people may start thinking like Teague.
More NBA news: Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards Makes Bold Declaration Following Brutal Game 5
Warriors Guard Undergoes Unexpected Offseason Surgery
For more on the Thunder and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
38 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
‘Inside the NBA' will live on, but the potential for meddling is a good excuse to celebrate it again
This crossed my mind recently for a few reasons. The show added the latest two Sports Emmys to its collection ('Inside the NBA' was nominated for outstanding weekly studio show, but lost to ESPN's 'College GameDay.' No shame in that.) Advertisement This year's awards occurred a few days before one of the funniest moments I've ever witnessed while watching 'Inside the NBA.' Analyst Kenny Smith was telling a long story about how his mother wouldn't allow him to have a car while he was a student at the University of North Carolina unless he got all Bs or better for grades. Barkley and fellow analyst Shaquille O'Neal needled him, as they do, and Barkley fired off a line that made everyone in my living room laugh out loud as the show headed for a commercial break. 'And to this day,' said Barkley, 'Kenny has never driven a car.' "The show is still here baby... WE DEM BOYZ!" Shaq has us ready to run through a brick wall 😤 — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) Yes, as a matter of fact, I am sitting here guffawing like an idiot as I type those words. Advertisement That one-liner was quintessential Barkley, who has the Must-Watch factor in a way only John Madden and a very short list of other sports broadcasters have achieved. The joke was so perfectly befitting a show in which the talent interacts not as colleagues, but in the no-one-is-safe-from-being-a-punchline way that real, genuine, unfiltered friends do. The collective chemistry of 'Inside the NBA,' in which ego is consistently punctured for the sake of comedy, is extremely hard to find in sports television, as evidenced by pretty much every awkward and uninspiring version of an NBA studio show that ESPN has ever produced. That, of course, is the other reason the show has been on my mind, and the minds of most other NBA fans. TNT's superb run as NBA broadcast rights partner will end with the conclusion of the Pacers-Knicks Eastern Conference finals. 'Inside the NBA' will continue, but under different circumstances that should bring at least some skepticism about whether a show that needs not a single change will remain quite the same. After months of drama and uncertainty about its future, parent company Warner Brothers Discovery The full cast — Johnson, Barkley, Smith, and O'Neal, who have been together since 2011 — will remain intact. TNT will continue to produce the show. Make no mistake: Compared with where this originally appeared headed, the 'Inside'-to-ESPN outcome is awfully close to a best-case scenario. I just wish I could be convinced, as some of my other sports-media columnist brethren apparently are, that ESPN won't screw this up. Advertisement ESPN has spent years, even decades, trying and failing to come up with NBA studio programming that can be mentioned in the same book as 'Inside The NBA,' let alone on the same page or sentence. It has failed and failed again, and its worst version yet is probably its current one, with Stephen A. Smith chronically caterwauling about the Knicks and Kendrick Perkins inevitably contradicting something he said a few minutes earlier. Maybe its weird to be nostalgic for something that isn't truly ending, but the I'm-gonna-miss-this sentiments come in part out of fear for what ESPN might do to what TNT built. Related : Since TNT will produce the show, perhaps that will prevent some ESPN interference. But you're telling me Mike Greenberg, or Perkins, or Screamin' A., won't be shoehorned on the set from time to time, or perhaps more than time to time? ESPN's if-you-can't-beat-'em, license-'em approach is wise, and it saved a wonderful show, but I've seen too many TV executives screw up too many good things to believe ESPN bosses will be able to resist some wholly unnecessary tinkering. The thoughtful Smith — c'mon, he definitely has driven a car, Chuck — expressed some skepticism regarding whether the show will remain the same in 'We have the same crew of people doing the show,' he said. 'But the timing: are we a half hour now? Are we forty-five minutes? Fifteen minutes? Those are the things that you can control when you own your [intellectual property]. But we don't.' Advertisement We won't know how this is going to go until we see it a few times. So allow me, then, to be nostalgic for something that will still exist. I've thought often of Watching TNT's NBA coverage wind down the last few weeks has felt a little like watching Sam Malone close Cheers for the last time. Had he and the gang matriculated to a new bar, we still would have known their names. It would not have felt the same. Chad Finn can be reached at
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Tanner McKee lands behind two Eagles castoffs in recent backup QB ranking
Tanner McKee lands behind two Eagles castoffs in recent backup QB ranking Eagles' Tanner McKee lands behind Gardner Minshew and Marcus Mariota in a ranking of NFL backup quarterbacks Once upon a time, there was a saying. It went something like this. The most popular player on many NFL rosters is the backup quarterback. It makes sense, sort of. Strangely, that may still be true in some areas based on the theory's intention, but nothing could be further from the truth in the Philadelphia Eagles organization. This is Jalen Hurts' team, and there's no debating that. While the originator of the above statement can't be determined or credited, the analysis makes sense when dissected further. Pro football is a win-now environment. Many fan bases grow weary with their starter quickly if he isn't performing and want quick fixes. Chants for the backup quarterback can sometimes grow louder when he's highly touted and charismatic. Fortunately, Philadelphia doesn't have those problems. A legitimate MVP candidate leads their quarterback room. Joining him in the meeting room this summer is a proven backup, Tanner McKee. The former Stanford Cardinal standout has proven he has potential and can play at a high level. The third quarterback on the depth chart features a battle between a once-exciting prospect that lands in Philadelphia by way of a trade (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) and a rookie sixth-round choice, Kyle McCord. The quarterback room could evoke league-wide envy. The Eagles are stocked but, by the looks of things, somewhat underappreciated. Tanner McKee lands in the bottom half of a ranking of backup NFL quarterbacks. No Eagles coach or player needs to be told that Tanner McKee has what it takes to play football at the highest level. No fan needs that reminder. No member of the Philadelphia roster needs an explanation. It appears, however, that the national media could benefit from some newer scouting reports. Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano ranked the NFL's backup quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 season. McKee lands just past the midway point at 19. Here's the explanation. "McKee made the most of his Week 18 start against the New York Giants, who were more than ready for their offseason vacation. (He) completed 27-of-41 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The lone start was impressive enough for the team to trade (Kenny) Pickett to the Browns. McKee lacks experience but has the luxury of playing on a loaded team in case he needs to step in for Jalen Hurts." Pickett, the man Tanner sat behind on the depth chart last season, lands four spots behind McKee at 23. Here's more: "It wouldn't be a surprise if the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job this summer play musical chairs with the depth chart order. According to reports, Pickett is getting the first crack at the starting gig, but Dillon Gabriel has had some reps with the first-team offense. We'll pencil in Pickett as QB2 here for Week 1 because Gabriel has impressed the local reporters in Cleveland. It appears popular rookie Shedeur Sanders and veteran Joe Flacco have fallen behind in the rotation of arms." McKee's ranking seems too low. Again, perhaps updated scouting reports were needed as two former Birds, Gardner Minshew II and Marcus Mariota, land at 14 and seven, respectively. Neither is a better player than Tanner, and though they both have shown promise at various points in their careers, both have done little recently to warrant top 15 rankings. The eyeball test is all that's needed here. There's no way Mariota is the seventh-best backup in the NFL. There's no way Jaxson Dart, ranked fifth, is that much better than McKee when the rookie hasn't even taken a snap yet. While Manzano always delivers quality work, slotting McKee so low is a headscratcher. Then again, we're entering June. We have all summer, so none of this should matter now.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler Drops Unexpected Pick While Predicting 2025 NBA Finals
Scottie Scheffler Drops Unexpected Pick While Predicting 2025 NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. American professional golfer Scottie Scheffler is one of the most successful names to attend the University of Texas. Advertisement Scheffler spent four seasons competing on Texas' golf team, where he helped the Longhorns to three Big 12 championship wins and three NCAA championship final appearances. He also took home the 2015 Phil Michelson Freshman of the Year award in 2015. What he's accomplished following his collegiate career is even more impressive. Scheffler is currently sitting at No. 1 in the official world golf ranking. Some of his highest achievements include PGA Tour titles, two Masters Tournament wins and a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Scottie Scheffler poses for a photo with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Dedmon-Imagn Images On Friday, Scheffler made headlines by discussing a different sport. He spoke with Dallas Morning News about the upcoming 2025 NBA Finals and showed dedication to his hometown team. Advertisement The Texas native was asked to give his NBA Finals prediction and confidently picked the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Mavericks did not reach the postseason, Scheffler felt the need to stress the importance of receiving the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. His unwavering support to the Mavericks is shocking to some as many fans are still upset with the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Scheffler is instead choosing to find the silver lining. The Mavericks are expected to select Duke star Cooper Flagg with the top pick in the draft. Related: Can Tre Johnson be the answer for Charlotte Hornets in 2025 NBA Draft? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
