Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart was asked to choose between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic during his recent appearance on Tidal’s Run Your Race podcast.
While many would debate that Luka Doncic has a bigger offensive bag, Marcus Smart surprisingly picked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Shai is tough,” Smart said. “I remember playing Shai in Boston last year, and I’m like, ‘Damn, you really like that?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ You know how he talks. ‘I just be chilling, bro.’ This year you see him, he ain’t chilling no more. He really ain’t chilling next year. I’m gonna give it to Shai on this one.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off a solid 2023-24 campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on 54/35/87 shooting splits. In the playoffs, the 25-year-old floor general averaged 30.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game on 50/43/79 shooting splits.

You can say the same for Luka Doncic since he averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 49/38/79 shooting splits in the regular season and 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on 45/32/77 shooting splits in the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder have a bright future with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way
The Oklahoma City Thunder made it to the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs but were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks. Still, no one can deny they had a great season because they were the best Western Conference team in the regular season with a 57-25 record.

This summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder bolstered their squad with the additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, and they also re-signed Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to long-term extensions.
They are expected to contend in the Western Conference for the foreseeable future, and they will likely face the Dallas Mavericks a few more times in the postseason along the way.