Age: 20
Height, Weight: 6-foot-6, 181 pounds
Slash Line: .459/.333/.807
Season Averages: 9.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 0.5 3PM
There were a handful of intriguing point guards in the 2018 NBA Draft. None had the size or wingspan or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though, who was a teammate of Kevin Knox’s at Kentucky. At 6-foot-6, with a 7-foot wingspan, he had incredible measurables as a ball handler, but a questionable jumpshot lowered him to 11th.
Through three quarters of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has proved worthwhile for the Los Angeles Clippers. They needed a future point-guard option after Chris Paul‘s departure in 2017, the trade of Austin Rivers and the mild disappointment of Miles Teodosic.
While not playing over his head, the one called “SGA” has a steady 45.3 shooting percentage for 9.9 points and nearly 3.0 rebounds and assists as a rookie. That’s enough for a young Clippers team, which has about as much cap space as the New York Knicks for free agency, to have excitement for.
This would have been an intriguing player for the Knicks at ninth overall, but they walked into the season with Emmanuel Mudiay and a still-intriguing Frank Ntilikina. If they had the versatile Gilgeous-Alexander, the Knicks’ outlook could be different, especially with Mudiay’s impending free agency and Ntilikina’s struggles. Dennis Smith Jr. is around, however, which should curb those doubts temporarily.