Sometimes, reality crushes your dreams. The Oklahoma City Thunder got a taste of that on Thursday. While fans expected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to return after missing five games with an abdominal strain like Superman following the NBA All-Star break, they got the exact opposite.
Gilgeous-Alexander will miss at least four more games due to injury. He will be re-evaluated in about a week. With Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell out, it puts the Thunder in a difficult position as they take on the Eastern Conference contenders without a true ball-handler.
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But more importantly, the MVP race is getting a little interesting. For the longest time, it felt like Gilgeous-Alexander had won the prestigious award several years in a row. So much so that the real question is whether he will win unanimously. Now, this abdominal strain opens the door a little for others.
Gilgeous-Alexander has played in just 49 of the Thunder’s 57 games. Considering he will miss at least 3 more games, this will bring the total number of games he has missed to 11 games, 7 games away from being disqualified. There’s no need to worry that he’ll miss the NBA’s 65-game minimum to be eligible for the award, but every game missed puts someone else in the national spotlight.
How much impact will Gilgeous-Alexander’s pursuit of personal greatness have on his return? After all, his idol Kobe Bryant only won the MVP once. If two people accompany him, his company is even more sparse. But according to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, there won’t be much, if any.
“I’m going to let go of the big picture things. There’s a lot of people out there who are thinking about those things. I’m thinking about the Thunder. I’m thinking about my kids. That’s really all I’m thinking about,” Daigneault said. “So I don’t know. I’m not going to be involved in that. But as far as decisions go, we’re always going to prioritize the well-being of our players and everybody else.”
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This may be a safe approach to take. I will say, though, that Gilgeous-Alexander has a big cushion both in terms of eligibility threshold and MVP odds, which helps the Thunder, making missing another week at least feel bearable. Until then, he had been one of the NBA’s most enduring superstars – literally.
Gilgeous-Alexander remains the heavy favorite. Although he lost some room for error. But others in the MVP field are equally scarred. Candidates like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic would be disqualified with only a slight adjustment.
You never want to see Gilgeous-Alexander miss a game, but the good thing about his injury is that it happens near the NBA All-Star break. So he was able to get a week off without missing any games. It looks like this could be a guarantee for the Thunder to win their second straight MVP trophy on his back.
“Everyone understands the significance of 65 games. Obviously, everyone knows that. We want all players to be eligible to play, not because of awards, but because we want to prioritize availability,” Daigneault said. “But when things happen with guys, we’re always cautious, we’re always as conservative as possible. That’s the best thing for our team and, more importantly, their individual careers.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder won’t let MVP case overshadow Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s recovery