Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Jordan of this generation?

Among today’s players, many have been compared to Michael Jordan, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stands out as the closest resemblance. He excels on both ends of the floor and possesses Jordan’s signature weapon—the mid-range jumper. Even defensively, he shows Jordan-like traits. The only area where he differs is popularity. In many ways, SGA can be considered the “modern-day Jordan.”

First, SGA’s scoring efficiency and consistency are frightening. Scoring 30+ per game comes naturally to him, very much in Jordan’s fashion. Jordan once said: “Getting 30 points in an NBA game is easy—just make four shots each quarter.” SGA fits that description perfectly. He scores quietly, but the box score always ends with another 30-point night. He’s one of the few players who truly makes scoring look effortless.

Second, SGA has mastered the art that helped define Jordan’s greatness—the mid-range game. Most of his shots come from this area, and his combination of hesitation moves and fadeaways makes him extremely hard to guard. It allows him to accumulate points quickly without expending too much energy.

Third, his defensive ability adds to the Jordan comparisons. Magic Johnson once praised him as “a player who combines Harden’s scoring, Chris Paul’s ball-handling, and Kawhi Leonard’s defense in one body.” Over the last four seasons, he has averaged 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks, with two seasons where both stats exceeded 1. For a guard under 2 meters tall and weighing just 88 kg, this is very rare.

In addition, SGA’s Thunder are off to a historic start. At 18–1 through the first 19 games, they rival the dominance of the 1995–96 Bulls (17–2) and the 2015–16 Warriors, who went 24–0. Fans are wondering whether this Thunder team could rewrite history.

Of course, SGA is not Jordan. When it comes to global popularity and historical standing, the gap remains. His free throws are sometimes criticized, and defensively he is not yet at Jordan’s level. Some fans even argue Anthony Edwards resembles Jordan more in terms of physicality and appearance.

Still, SGA remains the player most reminiscent of Jordan in today’s NBA.