Former NBA Champion Jeff Teague: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Saved The NBA

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Mid-Range Magic Is “Saving the NBA”

Jeff Teague thinks we’ve been missing something big in basketball. The former NBA player just gave newly crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perhaps the highest praise possible.

“I want to say something about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I think SGA saved the NBA,” Teague declared Tuesday on the Club 520 Podcast.

It’s not just about how well the Oklahoma City Thunder star plays. It’s about how he plays.

“The NBA is a copycat league, and he perfected the mid-range game,” Teague explained. “He brought back the ability to be able to shoot mid-range shots. Because the game was either a 3 or a layup.”

Teague knows this struggle firsthand.

“I got crucified in Minnesota for wanting to shoot a mid-range shot if it wasn’t a 3 or a layup for analytics,” he admitted.

But now? SGA’s signature move is changing the game.

“Him being the MVP and his go-to shot is a mid-range shot, he literally just saved the NBA.”

For those who don’t follow basketball closely, the mid-range shot is any jump shot taken inside the 3-point line but outside the paint – typically 10 to 16 feet from the basket. It’s been considered basketball’s “lost art” in recent years as analytics pushed teams toward either shooting threes or driving to the rim.

But SGA is bringing it back in style.

The numbers back it up too. During the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander shot an impressive 57.1% on all 2-point attempts.

“He made it acceptable again,” Teague said. “Even though his game is very smooth, he’s not the most entertaining person, but if you watch basketball, you’re like, ‘How is he so effective?'”

The answer is simple.

“It’s all based on his ability to get to the midrange. So now other people watching know they’ve got to be a 3-level scorer because they’ve got to be able to get a good shot every time.”

Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just changing how the game is played – he’s making history while doing it.

In Oklahoma City’s dominant 124-94 series-clinching win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night, SGA joined elite company. He became just the third player ever to record 30+ points and 5+ assists at least 10 times in a single postseason.

The only other players to accomplish this feat? LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

Not bad company for a guy who’s supposedly bringing back basketball’s “outdated” shot.