Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic: Who is the best player in the world right now?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are having an incredible season, with a record of 36-7 this year. They appear to be the best team in the NBA, largely thanks to their MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian is now the favorite to win the most prestigious individual basketball award for the first time in his career. He is averaging 32 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. Furthermore, last night he scored 54 points, a career high, in the 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz. Now, has he finally surpassed Nikola Jokic as the world's best player?

Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVP awards, has been considered the best player in the NBA for the past two years. Furthermore, he has won an NBA Championship and the Finals MVP in those four years. However, with the performance Shai has shown in the last three seasons, particularly this year, he has strong arguments to dethrone Jokic as the best player in the NBA. Let's analyze Shai's arguments for being the best player.

There are a couple of requirements a player must meet to be considered the best player in the world. One of those requirements is consistency. For instance, you cannot declare someone the best player in the world if they've only had one or two good years in a row. Consistency and dominance over several consecutive years must be observed. This is exactly what Shai has been doing over the past three seasons. He leads the league in scoring with an average of 32 points per game. Additionally, he has averaged 30 points or more per game in the last three seasons, thus joining a select group that has achieved that mark.

Shai may not be the flashiest player like Steph Curry, who makes six to ten three-pointers per game, or possess the athleticism and dunks of Russell Westbrook. However, what he does have is patience and finesse in his game. He knows how to contort his body to gain an edge over his defender when driving to the hoop. SGA knows how to get his points on the court and has an answer for everything the defense throws at him.

Shai's Efficiency and Two-Way Play

Another requirement to be the best player in the world is efficiency. If you are the best player in the world, you cannot shoot 40% or less from the field and average 25 points or more. If you do that, you are either shooting poorly or hogging the ball and not passing. However, Shai has been one of the most efficient players in the NBA. Over the last three seasons, he has shot over 50% from the field. His three-point shooting has been a bit challenging, hovering around 35% in those three seasons. Nonetheless, he is improving as a shooter this season.

In any case, he has been very efficient. For a shooting guard to shoot 50% or higher is quite an achievement, especially when most of his shots are from mid-range and are tough shots. Normally, wings or bigs shoot around 50% from the field, and rarely do guards.

Shai's two-way ability is one of the strongest arguments for him to be the best player in the world. This is something Jokic has struggled with, as he is not the best defender. However, for Shai, it's a completely different story. While he may not be the greatest defender of all time, he can hold his own against the best scorers in the world. Last year he led the league in steals per game, and this year he is averaging 2.1 steals per game. Additionally, he averages 1.1 blocks per game. His knack for creating turnovers on defense and standing up to players one-on-one. Everything he does on offense combined with his defensive quality is his strongest argument to be the best player. There aren't many two-way stars in the NBA, but Shai is one of them.

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