[Highlight] SGA Quarter Season Bag Work
Man it’s just so crazy how good he got. What a player
Genuinely one of the most unprecedented improvements I’ve ever seen from a player. Dude went from solid starter to all star to all time peak in like 4 seasons
This also means we dont know how good he will get realistically he can improve anything he wants from the look of it
it’s fitting that the new GOAT of a Canadian made sport is Canadian
How can he get better realistically?
He’s virtually perfect. Unless he somehow gets faster or taller, he’s basically maxed out.
Increasing his passing bag more he still sucks at lobs and maybe work on the pull up 3 as he seems way better at c&s and step backs
He’s improved his three point shooting a ton this year. That was the biggest knock on his game coming into the year.
If he maintains 40%+ throughout the season he’s pretty much the complete package. I guess we could ask him to be a better playmaker like Luka but it’s not like he’s bad at it either.
It’s crazy because of how automatic he seemed from the midrange last season.
Lob throwing is one of his weaknesses tbh
Yeah I need someone to lock him and Chet in a gym next summer and just make them work on their lob connection for a month lol
When I see SGA I definitely see an alternate realty of Harden, who was better at the middy than the 3 and thusly never gave it up, and is a scary defender.
In that respect, Harden is still a better playmaker
I believe the reception of SGA was alright from everyone. Got hurt. Came back like the was on a road of redemption and is becoming a potential generational player. If you had the eye test back then You could see glimpses of potentials form him.
I used to think his ceiling was basically a Kyrie no. 2 while we still needed a no 1.
Chip England did wonders for this team in just a year or two. I think he deserves a lot of credit for the shooting improvement for guys like Dort, Giddey, and SGA
If he masters that step back 3 it’s over for the league. I mean it’s already over but it’ll be more over
He’s shooting 43.4% from 3 this year.
Up 6.9% over his MVP season where he shot 37.5% from 3.
He was shooting like 20% from the playoffs too. Actually the whole thunder team couldn’t shoot for shit from the 3 in most games. If they stay consistent. Its a wrap imo.
I don’t know the stats, but I imagine our record between this year and last year when we shot above 36% (league average ish) from 3 is nearly perfect.
Probably same story if it’s Shai shooting them too.
I saw somewhere yesterday that he’s shooting like 54% on step-back threes. I wish I could find the thread
51% on step backs. You can find the thread in my profile, it’s mine
thanks brotha man
Found it. Thread was called “Regarding SGA’s Improved 3 Point Shot”
51.1% on Step Back 3’s this season
I swear I saw the same.
He’s been crazy efficient on it. Now we’ll see if he can keep it up or not but his 3 shot looks way way way better.
He’s shot 42% on 5.8 3s in his last 70 games
It’s already over
What people don’t appreciate about stringing moves together like this is the stamina
It’s crazy how he’s at his best late in the 4th this season when everyone else is exhausted
The whole OKC team has hands down the best cardio of any team. They red line on every possession for the full 48.
I assume that comes from Daigneault who came up under Donovan, who in turn came up under Pitino. One of the hallmarks of a Pitino team has always been excellent cardio conditioning.
it also comes from having the immense bench depth that allows them to know they can reliably take a proper break when they sit down.
He Still plays defense too, that’s some serious cardio
We definitely let him rest on that end in the beginning of games, but when he checks into 4th he locks in and becomes a great defender
His jumper is crazy smooth, but it almost has a deliberate hitch loading up the ball
He waits until he’s just starting to come down from the apex of his jump before releasing the ball. I feel like the extra beat between jump and release helps his accuracy so much.
Forces defenders to bite early which could lead into drawing a foul if the defender comes in too hasty. Say what you will about SGA, but you can NOT deny he has a baby bottom smooth jumper.
Whoa I’ve never noticed that. That’s a fascinating observation he totally does that.
That way the defender is on the way down when the ball leaves his hands
So it’s deliberate then? It’s a strategic hitch
Yeah he didn’t have that hitch in his shot when he first came to the team if I remember correctly
that’s awesome. It looks great, like a video game. It’s so dramatic as a viewer too, waiting that extra 1⁄2 second for the release.
He, like Jordan, can release on the way up, at peak, or on the way down. Just so many ways to beat your defender and draw and-1s. I think it’s more about that than accuracy.
ngl that hitch kinda messes with the flow but he still got that smoothness tho
It’s how he gets you, if you try to bite early you’ll be punished for it. Allows no room for defender error
That’s one of the reasons I’ve always compared him to Brandon Roy. The jumper is very similar.
https://youtu.be/MYJBueebmuQ?si=RYJkStXpx96RoUYt
They also both have the insane craftiness and ability to hit from anywhere. (SGA has better ball handling, is quicker, is a better defender, and most importantly has functioning knees)
I genuinely feel sorry for you if you don’t like watching this guy play basketball
To be fair, most of the people that complain about him don’t watch him, so they wouldn’t know.
Pray for me
This is the tightest spin move compilation I’ve seen. Like plenty of people have a nice spin move. Shai looks like former ambassador to Belize Michelle Kwan out there.
Making Chase Michael Michael’s look like an amateur out here
Most effective dribbler in history. Some players might be fancier, but they often lead to mistakes.
He has two of the five lowest turnover for over 30ppg seasons ever (MJ is the other three). His ability to not lose the ball is probably the most impressive part of his game considering his usage rate
He might be adding more. This season alone may surpass Mjs turnover record.
I think that middle space of not being a forward/big (more prone to turnovers/can’t dribble as well as guards), while not being a guard who does a lot of passing, puts him and MJ in the sweet spot of low turnovers. Are there other players that fit this?
If low risk high reward wasn’t a thing as a player before, it certainly is with him. He really personifies that lol
Duncan
True, good point
1.7 turnovers for his load is insane.
He has perfected the efficiency of everything in his game
He might be the most overall efficient player of all time, there’s just so few wasted possessions with him
Doesn’t even dunk the ball unless it’s a simple flush. No wasted energy
His whole life is efficient
Guys like Kyrie dribble like artists painting a picture. Shai dribbles like a computer constantly calculating the most optimal path forward.
Both lead to very effective results, but I’d definitely have to say he’s the best dribbler in the NBA at the moment.
I don’t even think MJ was near as good of a dribbler as Shai if you watch his stuff back in the 90s. He was a great ball handler, but he wasn’t an otherworldly dribbler like Shai is.
This is really modern day Kobe/MJ
I don’t see MJ, mj was a freak athlete. One of the most athletic humans ever. Shai is freak skill/agility/craft. Shai is Kobe. He’s even better than kobe at a few things too.
He’s a much better dribbler than both and I think thats what makes up for whatever he lacks in raw athleticism.
He’s got Kobe’s smoothness for sure. The mid-range is almost like watching flashbacks. I don’t know if SGA would have survived in the “Jordan Rules” era though. MJ putting on 25lbs of muscle and still retaining every skill is above and beyond. For me, MJ is still basketball Jesus above all else.
That physicality of MJ is part of why Kawhi is the player who reminds me the most of him. Shai’s game is less vertical due to being less athletic than MJ and Kobe and is more like their older games but I think his post game makes me think more of Kobe than MJ for the physicality reason. Ant might not use the midrange nearly as much as Shai but there are certain parts of his game that make me think of younger MJ and D Wade including the physicality, build and more arial play if that makes sense.
Yeah I think there was an in-depth analysis a few years back that determined that kawhi was the most MJ-like player that has played. Derived from a great variety of metrics, physical anatomy, etc. It ranked hundreds of other players too. It was really fascinating.
He plays like Kobe from the Gasol years but he’s 3 years younger. Feel like his game will age extremely well too, he’s never relied on his athleticism like Kobe did. Kobe fell off a cliff when he couldn’t get enough lift on his jumper anymore, he used to jump extremely high on every shot. I don’t see that being as big of an issue for SGA.
I mean he absolutely would have survived, but yeah there’s a real question if he would be close to MJ’s level in that era though. He would for sure be a top 3 player in the league though
You gotta remember that the illegal defense rules were still in play when jordan played. Imagine Shai if he never had to worry about zone and help defense.
You can push Shai hard near the rim and as long as he gets a clean shot off there’s a really good chance it’s going in for an and 1. His numbers wouldn’t be the same because it was a different league, but I still think he’d be dominant player
I think he’s got the ground game and footwork but I still think Kawhi has more MJ physicality in the post and above the rim like MJ and Kobe than Shai. Shai has a lot of the D Wade/Harden acceleration and deceleration and more of the older Kobe and MJ game because he never was that kind of vertical athlete those guys were
He’s been insane Might get another mvp the way he’s playing
He’s the front runner for me. His team is on a historic pace, he was missing his running mate (JDub), and his stats are insane.
He’s also a 2 way player, he may be the weakest perimeter defender out of the starting OKC line but he’s not someone you can just go at and the weakest defender still being good raises the floor for their defence
I saw someone say that it’s important to note how a star players attitude effects the rest of the team, and Shai tries his ass off every single night, never taking a game off, and that shows with the way the rest of the team plays. I think Jokic is an all time great and prob best in the world but he does take nights off and those nights you can tell none of the team has the energy just like him (look at their recent 4 game home skid for example). Shai is the best leader in the league rn.
This is the most basic obvious point that if it was an attribute of the media’s goldenboys would be highlighted and repeated over and over but for him it’s silence and crickets and for the guys setting bad examples also crickets because these guys don’t want to account for how much setting example for your team matters in how they play and makes them better because they only think assists does that.
Yeah I feel like we value analytics and numbers so much (rightfully so) that we kind of lost sight of how important energy and attitude are lol
Only other one since jordan to be averaging these stats and 1.5 steals a game
Unless he gets hurt or OKC starts losing quite a few more games, he is going to (and should) walk away with it no matter if Jokic might be having the best season on offense in NBA history.
Jokic is a fucking wizard and I’m halfway convinced there’s some Serbian witchcraft involved. It’s shitty to have that good of a season and not have some real hardware
The correct approach is that one of Shai or Jokic will win it and both are deserving. But some crop of fans will say undeserved or rigged as usual regardless of who wins.
If they both keep it up, they need to split the mvp award in two and give them both half lol
I think it was the NFL where two players were having such historic seasons that it sure looked like the voters rigged it so they were co-mvp’s with the exact same number of votes. I think SGA is going to win this in a stroll, but if there were a season for co-MVP’s this might be the year.
McNair and manning I believe.
It’s pretty quiet when Shai loses, like in 2024. It’s only when Jokic loses do people freak the fuck out
It’s that 2024 vote that’s gonna look sus in 10 years, not the the 2025 vote, but I’ll mind my own business
I think we are at the point where Jokic can be having better seasons than his mvp seasons and he won’t get a real shot at winning another mvp. It’s similar to Giannis who puts insane numbers every year but really hasn’t been a legit contender
Yeah- Jokic is getting pushback now because they don’t want to have the uncomfortable conversations about what it means for him to have more than some of the legends of the game. (though I think that Jokic clearly is already a legend of the game)
So I do think that lots of voters are looking for reasons to not give him another one. Though SGA on a 70+ win team as the clear best player is a pretty good reason.
Jokic needs to win another FMVP and then he’s instantly top 10 and can win as many MVPs as he wants
He should win it imo. He’s having a 2016 Curry season
His quick jab step back three pointer has been incredible this season. Thank god he found a reliable (so far) three point shot. That season of him trying the side step three as his go to iso 3 point shot was brutal.
I see you too have ptsd from Sga attempting a 3 during these playoffs
I’m willing to say he’s the 2nd best guard I have ever seen. And I have been watching ball since 01
I don’t know if I have seen a better guard season ever. His efficiency is off the charts
I just started watching basketball in 2024 and he is my goat.
I’m guessing Steph is 1st…RIGHT?? But damn SGA vs Prime Harden is a good debate. Offensively, idk I’d have to give the edge to prime Harden. And then to say SGA over prime Kobe is crazy too
SGA is better than prime kobe and i’m not even sure how close it is
Honestly, I don’t believe SGA is better than Kobe. But funny enough, SGA reminds me so much of him. I would have loved to see both of them go at it.
He’s a massive Kobe Stan. Described Kobe as MJ with steroids. Also said KD can do everything steph can do… ngl shais takes on basketball are a bit wild lol
Lmao a 3peat and 150 playoff games separate them
Kobe’s most efficient season is only better than Shai’s rookie season. I don’t think there’s a more overrated player in any sport
SGA’s last 5 seasons are more efficient than any MJ season. He better than MJ too?
If you adjust for era MJ is still more efficient and an overall better scorer. The same adjustments do not bring kobe close to shai as a scorer
No. Different era. And while I love SGA, he’s not in the conversation with MJ, Lebron, or Kobe yet.
Kobe is not in the conversation with MJ and LeBron.
Mate Kobe has nearly 2 more seasons worth of just playoff performances than Shai. Prime Kobe led to a 3peat. I can’t stress this enough
Prime Kobe led to a 3peat
Bro didn’t Shaq average like 30ppg during the 3peat? Like obviously Kobe is a huge part of that but idk how you can say he led it when Shaq was virtually unstoppable during that period
If Shaq had the drive and work ethic that Kobe or MJ did, those Lakers might have 8 peated.
Saying Prime Kobe led to a 3 peat doesn’t mean he was the sole reason they 3-peated… They were 1A and 1B, they wouldn’t have won without either of them.
Kobe also had B2B in 2009-2010. He had 7 Finals appearances, 4 with Shaq.
In the 3 peat Kobe averaged 19.8, 21.1, and 29.4. After Shaq left, Kobe essentially averaged 30 in every playoffs and won two Finals MVPs while Shaqs stats dropped significantly. As Shaq said, Kobe could have won the Finals MVPs but the game plan was for Shaq to score more.
Kinda like docking Steph when KD won finals MVPs. Having Steph definitely led to the chip that year, even if KD was Finals MVP
Shaq was genuinely the reason they got there. People always forget how bad the Lakers became without Shaq. Kobe couldn’t do anything until they got Paul Gasol.
Prime Kobe lost a lot in the playoffs before getting Pau. Young Kobe helped shaq lead a 3 peat
i’m not even sure how close it is
Reddit’s favorite phrase. Just a ridiculous statement.
And I’m lower on Kobe than most.
Exactly
SGA is way better than Harden ever was because of the defense alone. He’s also not a notorious playoff choker.
Curry and Kobe are the only two with a real argument to be better than SGA imo.
Yeah, Raymond Felton was definitely better
This shit is art in basketball form. One of the smoothest players of all time, go argue with a wall about free throws.
Everyone wanted defense and the midrange game to come back until the Shai and Thunder did it 🫣
MVP that man
Cookin’ em boys
I’m crying bro why is this post getting downvoted lmfao 😭
It’s literally impossible for a positive Shai post to break 1k upvotes lmfao it is what it is
His offense is artwork man. He doesn’t play above the rim so people never think of him exciting, but some of his post moves and drives are so beautiful it’s just so fun to watch
He really just glides across the court almost like a hockey player. No wasted motion. He is like other greats in the sense that he can always get to his spots And if he starts expanding his “spots” past the 3-point line, like he has so far this season, it’s going to be even more ridiculous.
After he masters the 3 point line. I want him to be a half court god. No more risks of injury or time wasting. Just efficient deep 3s.
Yeah but all I read on this subreddit is that he flops and only knows how to shoot free throws, it’s like people don’t watch Harden either. They both have crazy bags.
Is SGA the footwork goat? Just the way he’s able to change direction and pace to create space for himself is otherworldly. He’s making his defenders look like they don’t belong.
It’s prob Hakeem but for guards it’s him or Kobe imo. Kobe had more of a post game bag but that came later in his career and Shai still has plenty of time to improve that area
In terms of modern era, I like Kawhi’s footwork a lot, but it’s definitely more low-key than the flashier, craftier guards will get. Pascal is pretty good, Jokic ofc, Kyrie.
He might be good at basketball
Team Canada’s roster in this coming Olympics is gonna be crazy good. SGA, Dort, Wiggins, Edey, RJ, Murray, Nembhard, Dillon Brooks.
They lack size outside of Edey but man that’s a helluva roster.
Canada got cheated in the most recent olympics. Home referees made sure Wemby was getting into the medal rounds.
That was such bullshit…
I’m hyped. Maybe there will be some other Canadian talent in the pipeline we have yet to see too. There’s also shaedon sharpe and lil nemby but already pretty guard heavy
I’m excited Edey is more likely to play this time and Murray will hopefully be healthy. The team just needs more size because the vast majority of Canada’s talent are guards and 2⁄3 wings. They haven’t had a consistent 4 since Anthony Bennett and FIBA is mad physical
Reminds me to much of Kobe. I would have loved to see both of them go at it.
This is 6’6 Kyrie
6,6 Kyrie on better efficiency defense and playmaking
So nothing like him, glad we cleared that up
He’s 6’3 1⁄2 - Bill Simmons last pod
No way that’s real
He’s a height expert, he just is!
Him and JDub are both 6’4.5” barefoot
I’ll never compare another player’s handles to Kyrie but the ball security of SGA make up for it
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Right now he’s having a top 5 guard peak ever imo, and if they win 70+ this year and he gets another MVP + Ring I think only Curry and Jordan have similar or higher peaks as a guard
Crazy how this guy is playing a god like version of the traditional footwork focused basketball that everyones been asking for and people want to turn around and say his game is nothing but push offs and free throws
You’re literally watching the third generation of a Kobe/MJ type player
It’s scary how many counters he has ngl
He makes basketball look so damn easy
Those rockets clips are so tasty omg
He makes it look so easy. Just casually get 2 feet of space and hit an open middie
One takeaway I had from watching this is how good the defense is playing against him most of the time.
Sure, he cooks some guys every now and again but I was impressed with the effort guys were putting in to stop him.
I think it’s a lazy narrative that they don’t play defense in the regular season.
This is the most old head complaint ever but I hate that he’s always listed at point guard. This is a shooting guard.
Pure point guards are a dead breed. Teams want their main ball handler to be a top scorer also. But I get what you mean for sure
Yeah what we really have now are roles. “Lead ball handler”, “connector”, etc.
And it’s just Guards, Wings, and Bigs
Yeah you look at the way a team like the Thunder is constructed, and then you compare with a team like the Rockets or the Warriors, and you feel like you need team-specific glossaries now. Players listed by role rather than position. I often wonder if that’s how teams actually do it internally now.
I want to dislike him, but dammit he’s good.
The more you gas him up the better it makes the pacers look for taking him to 7…
best NBA guard since Kobe
Since MJ.
Honestly, yeah.
He’s a much more decentralized and a more efficient Kobe and also a winning player. We’re witnessing history, GOAT potential.
Excellent tempo changes combined with that footwork. He creates some great spacing against NBA defenders.
This post literally has nothing but amazing highlights in it but of course this is immediately gonna get propelled to top most controversial posts. And im supposed to believe people just dislike foul baiting and not the player
Genuinely wild how even the post of him winning the championship or the MVP didn’t break 1k upvotes. He’s hated on this site specifically so much lol it’s not near as vitriolic/one sided on other social media
professional bucket getter
It’s a crime not having that Isaiah Joe assist for the 3. (Or any assist for that matter.)
He’s makes it look so easy
All I could say while watching this was damn 😂
This is why I can’t take anybody seriously that says this dude is boring. Who in their right mind would rather watch Curry, Luka, etc. shoot 10+ 3’s a game over this?
They’re all fun to watch
This is a bad take. They’re all fun. Sgas just overhated. No need to shit on others for sga here. Also curry is one of the most exciting players of all time easily lol
Curry in his prime was the most exciting player of all time and it’s not close.
Easily the smoothest player in the league ever since PG’s OKC season.
SGA- Super Good Athlete
Ya know, that guy seems pretty good at the basketball!
Clippers fans seeing this
Anyone complaining about push offs didn’t even watch the fucking video completely exposing themselves LMAO waited forever to see anything even remotely close to an arm extension and it’s all just tough penetration and jumpers, hardly any of he’s even have more than light contact at all
For everyone clowning Melo vs SGA the other day, he sure does play like him
He’S oNlY GoOd CuZ He FlOps! - OKC haters, probably
MFS say this is unwatchable lmao smh
Poetry in motion
If there weren’t so many highlights of his flopping im sure he would be an even more loved player. That mid range is so smooth, his efficiency and turnover percentage this year are elite while playing great defense. I don’t really see how he doesn’t get back to back MVP at this stage of the season.
Where are the free throws???
He somehow will give you jab steps while going downhill.
What a pro wants, what a pro needs.
Bill Simmons said he moves in the court in a similar way as Gretzky on the ice in his prime. Seems like a good comparison
NBA Official Jenna Renau Doing Some Bag Work of Her Own
Wheres the free throws guys
He makes it look so easy, definitely a fun player for kids to imitate
Has anybody else noticed that when he moves his right leg a certain way it’s usually followed up by a shot instead of him driving to the basket?
Do these get posted to counter/snuff out all the sga foul bait post? Everyday it flips between that and then highlight reels.
Smoot as fuck! Now let’s get the league to disincentive foul bating bc it makes all these dudes better.
This is the guy who people say is “boring to watch”. I guess we didn’t like watching Kobe and MJ play, or you guys are a bunch of liars and just don’t like seeing this dude be great.
This current league and this current ruleset he is the min/max prototypical player. Best in the Leauge right now.
Dude is so freaking nice