At this point, reputation has grown beyond reality. Skyrocketing into the NBA's best scorer with three consecutive historically efficient 30-plus point campaigns has caused Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to be saddled with a nickname that's supposed to discredit his work.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have long been viewed as title contenders. With a player like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they will always have a shot. Sometimes, it is just that simple.

The Thunder could not have given Daigneault a better gift, as there is nothing that validates a coach's hard work more than the consistent winning basketball his team can play. But Gilgeous-Alexander has other ideas for what gift to deliver to the young head coach.