Dwyane Wade Defends The Play Style Of Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Over the past two years, there have been no players more dominant in the entire NBA than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he now has an MVP to go along with a ring, establishing himself as a modern great in the NBA. This season, he's looked just as good as the Thunder are off to a 24-2 start to the season, with the team looking like favorites to go back-to-back in 2025/26.

However, his play style has come under major scrutiny, with many fans tuning out of Thunder games due to the foul-baiting style that he employs, and with his defenders getting away with much more on the other end, it makes them a tough team to watch. One person that is a fan of his style however is Dwyane Wade, who recently came out in defense of SGA and the way he gets things done on the offensive end of the floor.

“The best players, the high IQ players find a way to manipulate the game, right? And it's really about understanding. His understanding of the game, of body movement, of defenses, he's smart enough to know how to get the call. Like, you know what I mean? And so I don't feel like that's a bad thing.”

Ultimately, fans likely aren't going to agree with D-Wade on this one, as SGA has drawn plenty of backlash on social media, but with his play style leading to success, there's absolutely no reason for things to change moving forward.