Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shining start for the LA Clippers

The LA Clippers lost their first game of the season, but witnessed some promising signs from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In his NBA debut, rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted a solid 11 points and 4 assists. This performance was propelled by his playing minutes.

Doc Rivers’ rotations had Gilgeous-Alexander coming off of the bench, however, he ended up logging roughly 28 minutes. More impressively, Gilgeous-Alexander played with aggression and shot an efficient 83 percent from the field. Just about every Clippers fan everywhere should be giving praise to Jerry West and LA’s front office with their decisions to trade for Gilgeous-Alexander in the draft.

Basically, Gilgeous-Alexander — the youngest player on the LA Clippers roster — is as offensively gifted as they come. For Shea Mirzai, a writer at Wonder Twins Entertainment, “It becomes even more remarkable that had he played 2 more minutes we probably win this game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander needs to become a huge part of Doc’s rotation, more importantly this organization. Mirzai believes his wingspan is remarkable to have for a young player, “Finally to have a young player on the roster who is not only crazy long but has tremendous size (at 6’6), especially if he stays at the PG spot like it feels like he should.”

The 20-year-old can be a long-term point guard for the Clippers. Jerry West and Lawrence Frank knew this all along. Lastly, Mirzai points out, “What really struck me was his poise, it gives me hope that he can be a Jayson Tatum-like contributor if he’s given the minutes.”

Gilgeous-Alexander had many highlight plays against the Denver Nuggets, making a statement in his debut appearance. Here are some of SGA’s highlight plays:

Not only was Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back jumper mean, but it resembled a Kemba Walker-esque type player in the making. He has the mind of a competitor and a team-oriented facilitator. He isn’t going to the basket dumbfounded every time he gets the ball, he is strategically attacking, looking for the open teammate or finding the open lane.

Attacking, perusing the rebound and stepping back for the clear shot were positive signs of a great player emerging into the NBA scene. If he continues to stay efficient and create, like he did against the Oklahoma City Thunder as well, Gilgeous-Alexander may force Rivers to give him more minutes very soon.