The Thunder can be described as a superstar incubator, in 2007-09, three consecutive MVP-level superstars were selected, and their talents were completely cashed out but they could not keep them, and some of them felt like a wedding dress. Although Durant is about to turn 34, his personal competitive state is still at his peak, and he also hit a dry three-pointer against the Lone Ranger; Harden found a long-lost game feeling in the 76ers, and his match with Embiid gradually improved; while Westbrook encountered the most difficult stage of his career and did not know when he would be able to find himself.
After losing those superstars, the Thunder got future rising star Alexander in that deal with the Clippers, the 198CM small forward who carries the Thunder's future. He was also lucky enough that after coming to Goose City, in addition to getting unlimited firing rights, he also had the opportunity to work with the former first point guard Paul for a year. During this year together, he learned Paul's calm style and personality, and also led the team to the playoffs, and played seven games with the Rockets, which was a result of defeat.
After Paul left the Thunder, Alexander completely got the ball and became the thunder's well-deserved number one person. Without Big Brother's support, fourth-grade Alexander can only move forward on his own; however, after receiving a five-year, $172 million early contract extension from the team in the 2021 offseason, his personal aggressiveness and confidence have soared unprecedentedly, after all, this is the best recognition of his ability. When it comes to loyalty, Alexander obviously knows the meaning of this sentence very well.
Isn't that? In the fourth grade, he averaged 24.3 points, 5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and although his three-point shooting rate and shooting percentage declined, his scoring methods became more stable and mature. In the game against the Spurs, Alexander played 35 minutes, shooting 14-of-22, 4-of-4 from three-point range, 5-of-8 from the free throw line, and scored 34 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Even in the final moments of the game, Alexander failed to hit three points in the bottom corner and failed to help the team win, but he also tried his best without reservation.
Such excellent data, but did not help the team to win, but also can only show that his understanding and control of the game is still lacking, these need to be accumulated by a game to get. The Thunder plus this loss have suffered seven consecutive defeats, and the pressure in these seven games is: 34 points, 32 points, 31 points, 8 points, 33 points, 33 points, 33 points, such a stable offensive performance, can be described as an MVP-level individual performance. I can only sigh that another MVP character cultivated by the Thunder has become the owner of the empty slash group at the age of 23.
But these are all the experiences on the road to success, Alexander is only 23 years old at the moment, with an annual salary of 5.5 million but playing the data of superstars, which is caused by the rookie dividend. Perhaps the Thunder should also consider how to build a team around Alexander, giving him the opportunity to lead the team to rise, so that he can live up to the trust of the fans and his own efforts. Even with extraordinary incubation skills, if the ability team does not act, it is possible to waste such a talented future star.
Do you think Alexander will be named an All-Star and have a chance to become MVP in the future? From the statistical point of view, it is entirely possible in the future, but it depends on how much the team can pay for him.