If Anthony Edwards had a vote for MVP (he doesn't), it's safe to say we know who he'd be casting it for.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star had high praise for one of his Western Conference rivals, calling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the "MVP of the NBA," per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
Edwards' backing of the Hamilton native came on the heels of a 113-105 win for Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in which the Canadian finished with 40 points on 15-of-23 shooting and four steals.
"To me, he's unguardable," Edwards continued. "As far as any one-on-one matchup, yeah, you can go on and give it up. Just give him two points most of the time ... anytime he's got somebody that he knows can't guard him, he's going to score every time."
And the two-time All-Star proved that point in the third quarter of what ended up as OKC's 12th consecutive win (the NBA Cup Finals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks doesn't count towards their regular-season record). Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 of his game-high 40 in the third as the Thunder flipped a 12-point deficit into a 14-point lead by the end of the quarter.
"Yeah, I would say Shai ... he's looking like the MVP," Edwards added. "He was incredible once again tonight."
The 11th-overall pick in 2018 is averaging 31.3 points per game on a career-high 63.9-per-cent true shooting to go with 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks. Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second in the NBA in average scoring, is tied for third in steals and is top-30 for assists and blocks per game.
His efforts have spearheaded a powerhouse Thunder team that's 27-5 and sits atop the Western Conference. Oklahoma City boasts the NBA's top-ranked defence and the No. 7 offence.
"He's consistent every night. His team gonna give him the ball and just let him rock out every night," Edwards said. "It's nothing to think about ... I hope they give (MVP) to him this year, for sure. I feel like he should have won it last year, but he's playing out his mind right now."
Gilgeous-Alexander is primed to appear on ballots for a third consecutive year after a fifth-place finish two years ago and then a runner-up nod last season, losing out to Nikola Jokic, who picked up a third MVP award.
And although the Denver Nuggets star is having another great year with averages of 31.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 9.5 assists on 65.2-per-cent true shooting, the rare air of a fourth MVP (he'd be the sixth player ever with four or more) doesn't seem likely at this point. Aside from possible voter fatigue, the Nuggets, at 18-13 and fifth in the West, just aren't the juggernaut that OKC is.
Even Edwards conceded that "I don't know if they could give it to (Jokic) again."
Meanwhile, upon hearing such high praise from his contemporary, the soon-to-be three-time All-NBAer was flattered, to say the least.
"No offense to you guys in the media, but the best satisfaction is when your peers and the guys that do the same thing for a living at a very high level that you do, recognize and respect your craft and your talent," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That's a really good feeling."
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