Coach Ty Lue says a certain OKC star reminds him of Michael Jordan

One of the strongest contenders to have emerged this seasons are the Thunder, who are currently leading the Western Conference standings with an outstanding 11-3 record. One of the main reasons for this impressive start of the campaign is credited to their 26-year-old leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Not only has the All-Star been showing off his versatile scoring talents, but most importantly, he makes everyone around play better and improve their game. This is why other coaches are starting to prepare matches specifically to try and stop him, as this combination of skill and leadership is not easy to stop.

One coach who recently played against him was Tyronn Lue, who says that the Oklahoma City star reminds him of one of the greatest to ever play the sport. “He allows other guys to get going, allows other guys that he trusts with the basketball [to score early],” he said. “But he knows that at any point in time he can take over the game. He reminds you a lot of the greats like [Michael] Jordan.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's career high 45 points against the Clippers

"It didn't feel special… it just felt like another basketball game" – SGA pic.twitter.com/94InfLk1fz

— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) November 12, 2024

The Clippers tactician delivered these words after witnessing an impressive display by Shai in which he dropped a career-high 45 points to beat the Los Angeles club this past weekend. Gilgeous-Alexander seems to be on his breakout season.

“As a younger player, you can tend to get out of control or try to get my points,” Lue said about the player who is averaging 27.9 points per contest on 49.2% shooting from the field and 30.7% from beyond the arc. “He knows it’s going to come to him the style they play, he knows the ball’s going to come back.”

However, one of the biggest secrets of the Thunder’s success is all about playing as a team. According to owner Sam Presti, this team is all about depth. “The icing on the cake for all of that relative to the depth is the pace of the modern game is much different, so the days are the same. There are still 24 hours in the day. There was always physical basketball.

“But the amount of torque on the bodies and the way in which — and how many possessions there are within a modern NBA game is just a different load. That’s why I think the depth is important to all teams, not just to our team, and I think we’re well-positioned for that,” the executive explained.

The Thunder debuted their newest City Edition Uniform this past weekend in an exciting home loss to the Mavericks

During the past week, many NBA franchises have been presenting their newest threads for this calendar year, as it has become a common tradition to create a City Edition Uniform that being more color to the league, expands the team’s identity, and of course, creates more marketing value.

One of the latest to announce their latest skin were the Thunder, who shined a light on their State’s cultural heritage. Their senior vice president of Business Operations Brian Byrnes, further explained the club’s creation in a release last week. This Oklahoma City uniform, which features “OKLAHOMA” across the chest, will be worn during six games this campaign.

“The 24-25 City Edition Uniform is an expression of Oklahoma City’s progression and unique cultural renaissance stemming from the optimism inherent in Oklahoma’s people and heritage,” he said. “It pays tribute to the innovators that have shaped Oklahoma’s culture and are pushing it forward.”

The Thunder debuted their latest threads this weekend, when they played the Mavericks this Sunday. In an very exciting match in Oklahoma, Dallas fought until the end and earned a 119-121 victory over the home team, who are now second in the Western Conference standings with an 11-3 mark.