Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives ultimate compliment from NBA analyst with comparison to Michael Jordan

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the best players this season, leading the OKC Thunder to the best record in a stacked Western Conference. SGA has also been the top candidate for MVP this year, after finishing as runner-up in last year’s voting behind the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic.

On Wednesday, on ESPN’s "First Take," Gilgeous-Alexander received a massive compliment from NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith. The analyst regards the Thunder star as someone who is on the level of the great Michael Jordan this season.

Stephen A. cited SGA’s scoring numbers and efficiency, which come on par with Jordan’s numbers during his heyday.

“If you’re talking about just basketball. I got to look at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Simply because, do you all know that he is on pace to average 30 (points) on 50 percent shooting this year. There is one other player in NBA history who has done that, and that is Michael Jeffrey Jordan. That's the kind of pace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on," he said.

This season, SGA is on pace to average 30 or more points while shooting over 50 percent from the field for the third straight year. Jordan did it from 1987 to 1990, one year before winning his first NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls.

Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 32.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game on 52.3 percent shooting from the field. He is also putting up 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this season, to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

The Thunder has been the favorites in the Western Conference, currently holding a 46-11 win-loss record. They are also 8.5 games ahead of the second seed in the conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander focuses on NBA title despite MVP buzz

The Thunder franchise is yet to win an NBA title in Oklahoma City. That is what Gilgeous-Alexander hopes to change this year.

Amid the MVP conversations, SGA remained focused on growing as a team with the Thunder as they zeroed in on a potential first title in OKC.

“You play the game to win, and that's, at the end of the day, all that really matters," he said, in an interview with Forbes. "If you don't win, or in my mind, if you don't win, you lost and if you lost, you failed.

"Now, you learn through those failures and losses, but ultimately, I wake up in the morning to win, and if I don't succeed in that in my career, I will have never accomplished what I wanted to,” he said during the NBA All-Star weekend.

SGA has been an All-Star twice in his career. Meanwhile, the Thunder has never reached the NBA Finals since 2012, when the team was still bannered by Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden.