Oklahoma City gets its superstar scorer back! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns for an MVP showdown, bolstering the Thunder's playoff push.
Guess who's back, back again? Shai is back, tell a friend.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans got (mostly) the news they hoped to see on Thursday evening's official injury report. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was no longer listed and thus set to return tomorrow against the Denver Nuggets.
The reigning Most Valuable Player has missed the last nine games due to an abdominal strain. While the Thunder have held up admirably in his absence, their stranglehold on the top seed in the Western Conference has slipped considerably. And Gilgeous-Alexander's likelihood of winning back to back MVPs was seemingly in jeopardy due to the possibility of missing too many games. So the league's best scorer is coming back in jut the nick of time.
Coincidentally, Gilgeous-Alexander's return game is against his biggest obstacle in joining the rare air of repeat MVPs. The Thunder superstar and Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic finished #1 and #2 for the NBA's most prestigious individual award the past two seasons and seem to be on a collision course for top two supremacy for the third straight year.
More good news: Gilgeous-Alexander is not the only Thunder player no longer listed on the injury report. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso all missed the second night of a back to back against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. It was assumed all three would be back for the battle of the West heavyweights, but it was still a sigh of relief for Thunder fans to see their returns confirmed. The bigger mystery was the health of Isaiah Joe. The sharpshooter exited the Pistons game early due to a glute contusion and his timeline was unknown. Fortunately, Joe is healthy and good to go as well.
The only downer for OKC enthusiasts was Ajay Mitchell's continued "out" status due to an abdominal strain and ankle sprain. Just like Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder breakout player was tabbed to be re-evaluated in one week exactly one week ago. Unfortunately, Oklahoma City will have to wait a bit longer to see the one-time Sixth Man of the Year candidate back in action.
One of the biggest winners in the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander news is ESPN. The Worldwide Leader In Sports is set to broadcast a battle between the two best players in the league. Maybe the two best teams in the league when all is said and done. Gilgeous-Alexander's return in time for an MVP showdown on national television is going to make for an electric Friday night in Loud City.