Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most efficient high-volume scorer in the NBA right now — a player who averaged 31.4 points per game in 2024-25 on 53.5% field goal shooting, a combination that no other player in league history has sustained at that scoring average. His 2025-26 numbers have extended that line: 32.0 points per game on the same 53.5% efficiency, establishing him as the most productive scorer in the current game by the metrics that matter most.

What makes SGA's efficiency remarkable is the range from which he produces it. He shoots 35.3% from three on meaningful volume, which means defenses cannot load up on interior help — but his primary threat is downhill off the dribble, using a rhythmically deceptive step sequence that creates separation from defenders who know exactly what is coming and still cannot stop it. His free throw rate is among the highest in the league, reflecting how frequently those step sequences generate contact at the point of attack.

Gilgeous-Alexander attended Kentucky before the Charlotte Hornets selected him 11th overall in 2018 and immediately traded him to Oklahoma City. He spent his first three seasons developing into a star on a rebuilding team that had more patience than most franchises exercise with young guards — and the patience produced the best player Oklahoma City has had since Kevin Durant's departure in 2016.

He is the central reason OKC became a playoff team ahead of its projected timeline and the organizational foundation for what could be an extended period of Western Conference contention. At 26 years old, he has already made back-to-back first-team All-NBA appearances and has a credible MVP case.