With the Philadelphia 76ers in town for New Year’s Eve, head coach Doc Rivers talked glowingly about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom he coached as a rookie with the LA Clippers during the 2018-19 season.
Rivers said that despite the Clippers acquiring Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, his celebration was cut short when he found out Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be involved in the deal.
“One of my favorite guys. Reminds me a lot of Tyrese (Maxey) just as far as his approach. He’s one of those young guys in his rookie year that you couldn’t coach enough. That loved being coached, overworked and stood for everything that’s good in the game. I say the same thing about Tyrese. I’ve had several those (type of players) but (SGA) stands out. Quiet demeanor but tough, and you knew this was coming. At least I did. I believe that. The day we decided to make that move when I was in LA, I was not so sure about it — even though what we did was phenomenal, too. I kept thinking this kid’s gonna be special, and I’m really happy that he is because he’s a good kid.”
That feeling turned out to be correct. Gilgeous-Alexander is enjoying his best season yet. He’s averaging 31.4 points on 50.5% shooting this season.
This is quite the compliment to receive from a head coach like Rivers, who’s been around several championship contenders and elite players.
