Paul George is known for being a smooth operator on the hardwood floor, which is presumably one of the reasons several players of the younger generation look up to him. If you ask the Philadelphia 76ers star, though, another player has a silkier game.
In a recent episode of his podcast, in which he welcomed Oklahoma City Thunder rising star Chet Holmgren, George acknowledged that Holmgren's teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , is the smoothest guy in the NBA today.
"He's easily one of my favorite players," PG said of SGA. "People give me this name for being smooth on the court. That's Shai. Shai is probably the smoothest player in the league right now. Anything you do, he got a counter for it."
Shai's soaring stock
The past two seasons have seen Gilgeous-Alexander clinch an All-NBA First-Team berth, highlighting that he is already one of the top-10 if not top-five, players today—He averaged 30.7 points per contest on 52.3% shooting in the previous two campaigns.
The Canadian phenom has been one of the most delightful stars to watch in the Association today because only a few players can claim to be as good as or better than him in isolation. His shifty ball handling and midrange prowess have also made him one of the most unstoppable forces in the league.
Gilgeous-Alexander's impact on the Thunder's winning is even more impressive. For the first time since the Kevin Durant era, OKC secured the No. 1 seed last season. In comparison, George's two-campaign stint in Oklahoma City never yielded that much success for the team.
If SGA continues to improve and the squad maintains its standing in the tough Western Conference, he can not just lay claim to the title of the smoothest superstar in the league but also the MVP.
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Thunder fans should be thankful for PG
While the Thunder faithful are probably thrilled to have gotten Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2019 offseason, they shouldn't forget that George was the catalyst for that fateful trade.
If it weren't for the nine-time All-Star requesting a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers for the opportunity to play alongside Kawhi Leonard, Oklahoma City wouldn't have received Shai and other key assets.
Funnily enough, George said earlier this year that both the Clippers and Thunder won the trade . Evidently, that isn't true because L.A. never found the success it was hoping for, while OKC is one of the most promising teams in the Association because of Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness and leadership.
Related: "That's a Nick Nurse question" - Paul George on who's taking the last shot between him and Joel Embiid
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