Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about his strategy playing alongside Jamal Murray for the Canadian basketball team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks on playing alongside Jamal Murray for Canada
With the 2024 Paris Olympics coming up, nations have finalized their strategies to play better and win. Team Canada has also formulated a similar strategy in their bid to win an Olympic medal. Their star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, discussed his strategy involving teammate Jamal Murray.
The Canadian team’s backcourt remains a promising one. Alongside the Denver Nuggets star, SGA has created a strategy with a short and simple mantra. During an interview ahead of the Paris Olympics, the OKC star revealed what fans should expect from Team Canada’s backcourt duo.
I drive, he shoots.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander via The Score
His statement carries immense weight as it shows how different talents and styles of play both players exhibit. One can expect Murray to score impressive jump shots and three-pointers. Meanwhile, SGA is known for aggressively driving to the post and securing a bucket. It also showed how much trust each player has in each other and how great they can be together.
Last season, SGA had a great season, averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, which made him finish second in the MVP voting. It also established him as a superstar in the league. Murray also had a stellar season despite not winning a championship like the 2022/23 NBA season. It’s going to be interesting to see both the stars work together alongside a great roster.
Canadian stars Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fell short in the Playoffs
Both Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets were great in the regular season. They competed in a tough western conference, which also had strong teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Both teams finished the season with 57 wins.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played great and was the ring general for the Thunder. Meanwhile, defending champions Denver Nuggets had Murray alongside MVP Nikola Jokic putting on stellar performances. Both teams were contenders to win it all.
Both teams played a great Round 1, and everyone thought both teams would match up in the Western Conference finals. However, both teams lost in Round 2 and faced elimination. The Thunder had a tough series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks and lost in six games. It was indeed a tough pill to swallow for the Thunder fans.
On the other hand, the defending champions lost to the Timberwolves in a close series which went seven games. During Game 6, the Nuggets lost by more than 40 points. It was hard for both teams to digest the loss as they were considered the favorites. It will be interesting to see how both the teams prepare for the next season and how they will improve and get better.
