NBA Player

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Change-of-pace mastery that gets to any spot on the floor.

ANBA Player Three-Level Scorer

Scouting Report

Strengths

+Elite mid-range and rim finishing
+Deceptive pace and footwork off the dribble
+Length for guard defense and steals

Weaknesses

–Only 2 on the boards — no help on the glass
–3 dunks and 3 power — finishes on touch, not force

SGA plays the whole game at his own pace — the crowned 5 handles is the headline, and it shows up everywhere he goes. He gets to any spot with 5 twos, 5 speed, and a 5 in passing that turns a collapsed defense into an easy dish. He doesn’t blow by you so much as change gears until your feet are wrong, then he’s at the rim or pulling up. The defense is real too: 4 on guard, 5 steals, even 4 blocks off a 6’6“ frame. Those long arms turn careless passes into runouts.

The card tells you what he isn’t. Only 3 dunks and 3 power, 2 boards — he’s not bullying anyone or cleaning the glass. He scores on craft and touch, not force. The 4 from three is solid but not a pure-shooter number, so live in the mid-range and the paint where the handle and twos do the damage.

In the Zone: Amped Up. His takeover pours a boost into Speed, Stamina, Power, and Jump Height all at once — a direct patch for the 3 power on his card. That stops being a ceiling: suddenly he’s finishing through contact and getting up at the rim, and with 5 stamina already maxed, the boost means fatigue never touches his looks. Trigger it, push the pace, and stop settling for jumpers — hunt the rim.

Run him with a stretch shooter and a glass-eating big. He’ll break the first defender down and spray it out, so a knockdown threat off his drives is the cleanest fit, while a rebounder covers the 2 boards he leaves on the table.