No one expected that Alexander was the first player to win the championship in 2018

On July 3, the 2018 NBA Draft was hailed as the most talented class in recent years. Doncic, Trae Young, Ayton and other names have long become the league's signature. However, when the 2025 Finals came to an end, no one expected that the first to win the O'Brien Cup was Shea Gilgers-Alexander, the 11th pick, a Canadian defender who was once regarded as the top deal by the Thunder, completed a counterattack legend from role player to FMVP in five years.

**Cold and dormant on draft night**

When Doncic was selected by the Hawks in the third pick, Trae Young and the Mavericks exchanged their bosses became the focus, the Charlotte Hornets took Alexander with the No. 11 draw and didn't even get too many shots. The 1.98-meter-high point guard performed mediocrely in the physical test, and the scout report said "lack of explosive power" and "unstable shooting". After being selected by the Clippers, he averaged only 10.8 points per game in his rookie season and was completely suppressed by Curry when facing the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. In the summer of 2019, he was sent to the Thunder as a bargaining chip for George's trade. The Russian media lamented at the time: "We lost two superstars and only received a draft pick and ordinary newcomer. "

** Oklahoma's tempered rebirth**

In the rebuilt Thunder, Alexander met Life's mentor-coach Mark Dignot. The coach, who is good at developing guards, found that Alexander has an underrated killer instinct: his wingspan reaches 2.12 meters, and he can create space with weird rhythm changes when breaking through. "He's like an assassin who plays at 0.5 times faster," Dagnott said in an interview in 2022. The data confirms this growth: Average of 24.5 points per game in the 2021-22 season, and was selected as an All-Star in 2023. In the night when the Lakers scored 44 points and 10 assists, James took the initiative to exchange jerseys with him after the game.

**The qualitative leap in the championship season**

2024-25 season became the year of Alexander's deity. While averaging 31.2 points per game in the regular season (third in the league), he completely smashed the doubts of "not shooting" with a three-point shooting percentage of 42.1%. In the first round of the playoffs, he scored 9 points in a row in overtime in G4 to finish the game; in the Western Conference Finals, facing Jokic's Nuggets, averaging 28.7 points and 6.8 assists in the series. In the finals, when Holiday and White took turns to mark the defense, he used a mid-range shooting percentage of 53.6%, and the step-down jump shot in the final moment of the sixth game became a classic picture. NBA legend Wade was amazed during the commentary: "This young man perfectly blends DeRozan's back, Harden's rhythm and Paul's calmness. "

**Comparison and revelation of the 2018 class**

When Alexander raised the FMVP trophy, the leaders of the same class were still chasing their first championship: Doncic stopped in the Western Conference Final three times, Trae Yang Gang experienced a trading storm, and Ayton turned to three teams and became a blue-collar worker. Sports psychologist Alan Kramer pointed out: "The low pick has become Alexander's advantage. He has not been given pressure to savior too early and can grow up according to the scientific curve. " Thunder general manager Presti's team building strategy is also key: refusing the Soha deal to retain young cores such as Chet Homgren, creating the most suitable offensive and defensive system for Alexander.

From the community court in Hamilton, Canada to the NBA championship, Alexander's story redefined the path to success. In this alliance that emphasizes talent first, he spent five years proving that superstars were not all born in the spotlight, and those underrated uncensored jades may be sculpting themselves in a tougher way. As he said at the championship press conference: "I have never seen the draft pick list, but I remember the name of everyone who said I can't do it." Now the 2018 championship drought has been broken, and the legend of Alexander may have just begun.