{"id":10812,"date":"2025-01-03T17:18:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T16:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=10812"},"modified":"2025-01-03T17:18:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T16:18:05","slug":"shai-gilgeous-alexander-karl-anthony-towns-and-decembers-nba-standouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-karl-anthony-towns-and-decembers-nba-standouts\/","title":{"rendered":"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, and December&#8217;s NBA standouts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/nba\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>NBA<\/a> wrapped up December with some clear MVP vibes. Oklahoma City&rsquo;s <strong>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/strong> and New York&rsquo;s <strong>Karl-Anthony Towns<\/strong> secured the <strong>Kia NBA Players of the Month<\/strong>, and honestly? No one&rsquo;s even side-eyeing this decision.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Thunder&rsquo;s unstoppable force<\/h2><p>Let&rsquo;s start with Shai, who basically turned December into his personal highlight reel. The Thunder went <strong>12-1<\/strong>, and Shai? He averaged an NBA-best <strong>33.3 points per game<\/strong> on a ridiculous <strong>56.3% shooting<\/strong>. For those keeping track, that&rsquo;s video-game numbers in real life. Add <strong>5.8 rebounds<\/strong>, <strong>5.2 assists<\/strong>, <strong>2.5 steals<\/strong>, and <strong>1.2 blocks per game<\/strong>, and it&rsquo;s clear why SGA is pulling his weight and then some.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks center-forward Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d6xGHLU0lW\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/d6xGHLU0lW<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAPR\/status\/1874923738468339915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 2, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>This is Shai&rsquo;s <strong>third career Player of the Month award<\/strong>, and honestly, it feels like he&rsquo;s just getting started. Oklahoma City&rsquo;s sitting at the top of the Western Conference, and Shai&rsquo;s been nothing short of surgical with his efficiency. If MVP chatter isn&rsquo;t already in your group chat, fix that.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Karl-Anthony Towns: The Knicks&rsquo; backbone<\/h2><p>On the Eastern side, <strong>Karl-Anthony Towns<\/strong> is playing with something to prove, and it&rsquo;s paying off. The Knicks logged a <strong>12-2 record<\/strong>, thanks in no small part to KAT&rsquo;s <strong>23.2 points<\/strong>, <strong>14.6 rebounds<\/strong>, and <strong>1.8 blocks per game<\/strong>. New York has always been a basketball town, and Towns is making sure it&rsquo;s about winning, not just nostalgia.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">KAT is just gettin&rsquo; started &#128170; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NbzSDDJggn\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/NbzSDDJggn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nyknicks\/status\/1874925487438668077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 2, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>For a guy who&rsquo;s often overshadowed in MVP conversations, Towns showed in December why he&rsquo;s the glue holding the Knicks together. He&rsquo;s dominating the glass, protecting the rim, and scoring when it matters. This recognition? Long overdue.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The rookies redefining December<\/h2><p>The youngsters didn&rsquo;t disappoint either. <strong>Yves Missi<\/strong> and <strong>Alex Sarr<\/strong> snagged <strong>Rookies of the Month<\/strong>, setting benchmarks for their respective squads.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Yves Missi: A rebounding machine<\/h3><p>Missi, holding it down for the Pelicans, averaged a <strong>double-double<\/strong>&mdash;<strong>11.2 points<\/strong> and <strong>10 rebounds per game<\/strong>&mdash;while leading all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. The man even topped the entire league in <strong>offensive rebounds<\/strong> for December. Zion who? Just kidding&mdash;but Missi has been a revelation.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alex Sarr: The Wizards&rsquo; bright spot<\/h3><p>Over in Washington, Sarr flexed his range, leading all rookies in <strong>3-pointers (2.2 per game)<\/strong> while shooting a smooth <strong>45.5% from deep<\/strong>. His versatility shone in a win over Charlotte where he stuffed the stat sheet with <strong>19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks<\/strong>. For a team desperate for a spark, Sarr is exactly that.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Defensive powerhouses: Jackson Jr. and Mobley<\/h2><p>Defense wins games, and December belonged to <strong>Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/strong> and <strong>Evan Mobley<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Jackson Jr. anchored Memphis with <strong>23 steals<\/strong> and <strong>22 blocks<\/strong>, holding opponents to <strong>40.2% shooting<\/strong>. Meanwhile, Mobley drove Cleveland&rsquo;s league-best <strong>106.2 defensive rating<\/strong>, proving his mettle with <strong>multi-block games<\/strong> and consistent rim protection.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and Washington Wizards forward-center Alex Sarr have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LdIeKzxDln\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/LdIeKzxDln<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAPR\/status\/1874908612604449160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 2, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Lastly, let&rsquo;s give flowers to the coaches. <strong>Mark Daigneault<\/strong> (Thunder) and <strong>Kenny Atkinson<\/strong> (Cavs) steered their teams to identical <strong>12-1 records<\/strong>. Daigneault&rsquo;s Thunder have the best start since the 90s, while Atkinson&rsquo;s Cavs hit a franchise-best December win percentage.<\/p><p><strong>Read More:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/most-30-point-games-in-nba-history\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Most 30+ point games in NBA history<\/a><\/p><p>Image: Imagn <\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA wrapped up December with some clear MVP vibes. Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York&rsquo;s Karl-Anthony Towns secured the Kia NBA Players of the Month, and honestly? No one&rsquo;s even side-eyeing this decision. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The Thunder&rsquo;s unstoppable force Let&rsquo;s start with Shai, who basically turned December into his personal highlight reel. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24,2473,2472,2471,109],"class_list":["post-10812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-nba-honors","tag-nba-player-of-the-month","tag-nba-standouts","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, and December&#039;s NBA standouts - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, and standout NBA rookies dominate December&rsquo;s awards with game-changing performances.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-karl-anthony-towns-and-decembers-nba-standouts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, and December&#039;s NBA standouts - 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