Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hawks guard Trae Young have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Gilgeous-Alexander won for the Western Conference, while Young claimed the East’s award. It was the second Player of the Week honor this season for each of them.
The presumed frontrunner for the 2024/25 MVP award after finishing as the runner-up last season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 44.0 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.3 blocks on .540/.400/1.000 shooting in victories over Memphis, Houston and Denver last week. He missed one game, which Oklahoma City also won (against Portland).
The 26-year-old superstar leads the league in scoring with a career-best 32.9 PPG on elite efficiency for the West’s No. 1 seed. The Thunder have all but wrapped up the best record in the conference, leading their closest competition — the Lakers and Nuggets — by 12 games.
As for Young, he helped guide Atlanta to a 3-1 record last week, averaging 24.5 PPG, 13.0 APG and 2.8 RPG. He struggled a bit with efficiency, shooting just 39.0% from the field, including 20.0% from three-point range, though he did convert 96.7% of his 7.5 free throw attempts per contest.
The Hawks currently hold a half-game lead on both Orlando and Miami for the No. 7 seed in the East.
Desmond Bane, Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle were the other nominees in the West, while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham, Josh Giddey, Coby White, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were nominated in the East (Twitter link).