ESPN ranks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as 8th-best player…

ESPN ranks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as 8th-best player for 2023-24 season

With the preseason slate underway, ESPN published its yearly top-100 players ranking heading into the 2023-24 season.

The rankings are decided by conjuring up the votes of 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts. ESPN asked them to rank players based on predicting their contributions for the upcoming season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had three players make the 100-51 range of the rankings. Another made the top 10.

Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ranked the No. 8 player heading into the season — a massive jump from last year’s No. 48 ranking for the 25-year-old. The 40-spot jump from last year was the highest among the top 10 players.

Gilgeous-Alexander entered superstardom last season after he averaged 31.4 points on 51% shooting. He also led the Thunder to a 40-42 record and a win short of a playoff berth. He celebrated his career season by being named onto the All-NBA First Team and finishing No. 5 in MVP voting.

According to ESPN, all of these factors played a role in Gilgeous-Alexander jumping 40 spots:

“Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off of the best season of his career: 31.4 points per game on 51.0% shooting from the field. As he was surrounded by younger players, his play was the reason the Thunder were able to make the jump from the top of the lottery to the play-in tournament.”

The biggest question heading into the 2023-24 season is whether Gilgeous-Alexander can continue to score at a historically efficient rate. Eliminating the 3-point shot and going to the free-throw line 10-plus times last season helped him be an efficient scorer.

“Will his efficiency carry over? Gilgeous-Alexander saw a jump in production because he changed his style of play. He took more two-point shots than anyone in the league, reduced his 3-point attempts from 5.3 to 2.5 per game — he shot 34.5% compared to 30.0% the year before — and led the league in free throws made. That style worked for him last year, but can he do it again?”

Overall, this ranking seems about right. Gilgeous-Alexander had his breakout season last year and barring health, he should continue to be one of the best players in the league for the foreseeable future as he enjoys his prime.