maybe I’m a hater but I just don’t see it with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His game seems far too reliant on him getting to his spots and scoring with finesse at his own pace.
It seems like if you’re physical with him and speed him up he can be taken out of the game pretty easily.
I disagree, I think other shooting guards can use their athleticism/strength to generate points. Shai is thin and a mid athlete by NBA standards, it’s more difficult for him to impose his will on a game.
In principle, you're basically describing older versions of Kobe and MJ, who didn't have the same athleticism as they once did, but were still at the top of their respectives games because their skill level had reached a point where
getting to their spots and scoring with finesse at their own pace was the entirety of what they did.
And surely you wouldn't dare suggest you didn't see it with those two players (who were just as effective as they were when they hit their peaks, athletically)?
You're considerably underrating Shai's strength too.
Imposing one's will on the game is what you can do in a halfcourt setting, and particularly down the stretch when the game slows down, and besides Jokic (and arguably Luka), nobody else is better at doing that. Being able to get to the FT line is also an element of imposing his will on the game too, which again, there's nobody in the game better.