Oklahoma City Thunder fans are still enjoying triple-doubles from their players despite Russell Westbrook leaving in the summer. This season it’s their young point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is filling the stats sheet for OKC and putting up some impressive numbers.
On Monday night, Gilgeous-Alexander helped Thunder get a 117-104 win over Minnesota Timberwolves with a triple-double that saw him score 20 points, dish 10 assists, and grab 20 rebounds. By doing so, he became the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double that included 20 boards.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also only the fourth player who managed to get 20 points and 20 boards triple-double in his sophomore year. The other three are Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Charles Barkley.
The 21-year-old guard credited his OKC head coach Billy Donovan for pushing him to contribute with an all-around game.
“Coach had challenged me before the game to fill up the stat sheet more and do more things,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Because he thought, as well as myself thought, that I was more capable of what I was doing.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was 11th overall pick in 2018, joined Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason as part of a blockbuster trade that sent Paul George to Los Angeles Clippers. He was immediately installed as the Thunder’s starting guard and thrived in the role. Gilgeous-Alexander currently averages 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
