Celtics' Derrick White issues strong statement on Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White issued a strong statement on Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Thunder beat the Celtics on Tuesday.

White had nothing but positive things to say about Gilgeous-Alexander.

“He’s one of the best players in the league,” White said about Gilgeous-Alexander. “I feel like every game he gets to his spot and makes a play. So obviously we’ve got to see what went wrong and try to correct it. He’s one of the best players in the league and proved it today.”

The Thunder defeated the Celtics by a final score of 127-123. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points, six rebounds and seven assists while shooting 14-of-22 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line in 36 minutes.

“Shai’s one of the best in the league,” White said. “They do a good job of creating confusion and testing our communication and everything. So they’re a tough team to guard and I think the whole league is trying to figure it out.”

The Thunder have the second-best record in the West. They are 23-10. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks on the season while shooting 54.6% overall, 33.9% from 3 and 90.4% from the foul line.

Gilgeous-Alexander is third in the NBA in total points, third in points per game, first in total steals, first in steals per game, third in field goals and second in player efficiency rating. The Kentucky product is one of the betting favorites to win the MVP Award this season.

All signs point toward the Thunder making the playoffs this season for the first time since 2020, and with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, OKC could win it all.