Former NBA champion points out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's apparent snub from MVP leader position

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the Western Conference and the second-best record in the NBA. That's despite not having Chet Holmgren for weeks now as he continues to nurse a rare hip injury.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the way, averaging 30.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocks and 2.2 three-pointers per game on 51.7% from the floor.

Former NBA champion Antonio Daniels simply cannot fathom how he's not the leading MVP candidate right now.

"He is a culture-builder. And there's a big difference between good players and culture builders. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not just an elite player. He's also someone that you can build your culture around. If you look at the MVP ladder today, where is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?" Daniels said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

The updated MVP ladder has the Canadian guard at third, trailing Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Per Daniels, that doesn't make much sense.

"Think of the fact that he's third right now," Daniels added. "Oklahoma City is first in the West, and he is having a career year. In the past couple of games, he put up 45 and 41, and he's still third. So what exactly does he have to do to actually surpass Giannis and Nikola Jokic to actually move in first?"

Mark Daigneault praises Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for 'masterpiece' vs. Pacers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lets his game do the talking. In the win over the Indiana Pacers, he tied his career best of 45 points while also dishing out eight assists and snagging eight rebounds.

“Everybody seemed to make a big play for us tonight that we really needed on a night where we were playing a very hot opponent,” Coach Mark Daigneault said.

“With that said, Shai was outstanding tonight. That was a masterpiece. I mean, he was at his own pace the entire night. I thought he moved it out of the early helps and got his teammates activated, but great blend of passing and attacking, great blend of shooting and attacking. He just had total control of the wheel tonight.”

There's still plenty of basketball ahead, so there's still a chance that Gilgeous-Alexander will end up on top of the MVP rankings.