The Clippers will face one of two teams in the first round of the NBA playoffs if they are able to advance out of the play-in tournament. The Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs, meaning they will have to go up against one of the top two MVP candidates.
While the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama is unlike anything ever seen before in the NBA, the Thunder’s top player presents a different problem, in that there are no holes in his game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and should win the award again this season. In 2025, he became the first player since LeBron James to win the regular-season and NBA Finals MVP awards in the same year, cementing himself as the best basketball player in the world right now.
For over 60 years, Wilt Chamberlain held the record for the most consecutive 20-point games (126), which Gilgeous-Alexander has surpassed with seemingly no end in sight to his count.
In his current form, it feels like “SGA” is an unstoppable offensive force, with nearly no exploitable aspect to his game.
Is there a part of his game that is still underrated?
“His three-point shot,” said Clippers’ head coach Tyronn Lue. “Even though he is shooting it at a high clip.”
“The biggest thing was trying to make him a jump shooter, but now the way he is shooting the three, with his step back, he can score at all three levels. He can score at the rim, he has probably the best in-between game in the league, and then his three-point shot has come around, and he can get to the free-throw line,” Lue continued.
The shot that has changed the NBA forever is the same shot that has propelled Gilgeous-Alexander up the all-time ranks.
His 3-point percentage has risen for five straight seasons, from 30 percent in 2021-22 to nearly 39 percent in 2026.
Given that he has led the league in made free throws for four straight seasons and has the deadliest midrange game in the NBA, adding a three-point shot that is falling at this rate to his arsenal feels unfair for opposing defenses.
“It is a tough cover; it is not going to be a one-on-one thing. We are going to have to show him a crowd with more of a team defensive scheme to help slow him down a little bit,” said Lue.
What makes covering SGA even tougher is that when you send a double team, which is almost required, he is surrounded by the best supporting cast, who can all knock down an open three-point shot with ease.
Wembanyama is a unicorn moving like a guard at 7’4”, but he also plays like a guard. He settles for jump shots despite towering over defenders and is still a very young player who has yet to fully evolve into his final form, unlike Gilgeous-Alexander.
If LA had the choice between which superstar they would rather face in the first round, the decision would be obvious. You can gameplan and throw different things at Wembanyama. With the Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, you just have to hope and pray.
The Thunder have beaten the Clippers all three times they have played this season, including a 128-110 win on Wednesday night. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points on 9-17 shooting from the field while adding 11 assists. His services were not required at all in the fourth quarter, a trend that has become a common theme.
There was no doubt who the best team was in the NBA last season, and it appears they are once again the clear favorite to reach the NBA Finals out of the West.
LA’s best chance to go on a deep postseason run would be by avoiding OKC. If they are unable to do so, Gilgeous-Alexander awaits, and Ty Lue and his team will have a handful to deal with if that is the case.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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