Spurs’ Chris Paul says Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ‘should’ win MVP

Although Chris Paul doesn’t get a vote to determine the winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, he’s made it known who he would cast his ballot for if given the chance.

The San Antonio Spurs guard spoke with NBA reporter Taylor Rooks at an event with Bleacher Report on Wednesday, and, in the midst of lauding praises for former teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he mentioned that the Hamilton, Ont., native “should” win MVP this year.

Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, is having another stellar season as he’s averaged an NBA-best 32.8 points per game to go with 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals through 64 games. The MVP runner-up last year has already led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a playoff berth with 16 games to go in the regular season, thanks to a 54-12 record as they sit atop the Western Conference, 12 games clear of second place.

Now, despite SGA’s impressive run, some may believe Paul’s opinion on the MVP debate could be clouded, considering the pair were teammates for a year in the Canadian’s sophomore season — and first with OKC after being dealt by the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George.

However, when asked how he defines the MVP award, the 12-time All-Star said that “you obviously got to be the best player on a good team.”

And Gilgeous-Alexander has objectively and emphatically checked that box this season.

The Thunder rank first on defence and fourth on offence in no small part thanks to the Canadian. He’s the only player in the league to rank within the top five for both individual offensive and defensive rating this year, and he’s just the seventh player all-time with 60 straight 20-plus point performances in a single season.

“It has a lot to do with Shai and the type of leader he is,” Paul added when asked about OKC’s impressive season thus far.

The future Hall of Famer was also asked if he expected this kind of leap from Gilgeous-Alexander in the season they spent together, and while he admitted that it wasn’t something he saw coming, he did believe in the then-21-year-old’s potential because of his passion for the game.

“I don’t know if I knew that, but I hoped,” said Paul. “Just knowing him and the way he loved to hoop … Shai was like that … even at this point, we still talk once or twice a week about the games that’s going on. And now, it’s trouble for everybody for a while.”