The night before the start of the 2015-16 season, the 31-year-old Lebon said in an interview that he likes to listen to "if I ever fall in love" in the shower. The song was released in 1992 by R&B/ soul band Shai and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1998, a man named Vaughan Alexander from Ontario, Canada, named his son after the band. It's a beautiful and lucky thing to be able to name your child after something you love. Beautiful means music and children, two passions you can't live up to in your life.

Twenty-four years later, the Lakers imagine they can get this child.

That is what happened before the start of this season, the Lakers management roundtable, pointing the river, think of a better future should not be strong, how to trade is a big deal, need such a team, no hope of the bad team, there is enough space, as long as the draft is willing to give up the team's young people, eat a final year of 40 million contracts.

Everyone looked, Thunder seemed to be the best choice, meeting all the conditions, even the best sense of drama, a tired bird returning to the nest of faint joy and sadness, they don't need to pay too much price, just the child named Shai - Shay Giljes-Alexander.

Only problem: Halfway through the season, the Lakers themselves are the worse team. The Thunder are now 10th in the Western Conference and have entered the play-offs circle, just one game away from the playoff circle.

Alexander, who the Lakers want, is now averaging 30.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, ranking fifth in the league in points per game, sixth in steals per game, sixth in efficiency, and first in fashion -- the first ranking comes from basketball data site BBR, and the last one comes from men's style magazine GQ. They named Alexander the 2022 winner of the League's Most Stylish Award.

Alexander's status as a fashionista has been established since he entered the league in 2018 at the age of 19. On draft night, Adam Silver read Alexander's name with the 11th pick in the first round, and a skinny Canadian kid and an olive brocade suit entered the livestream. The olive-colored suit is covered in floral patterns that look like one of the most popular patterns on Chinese quilts from the 1990s.

Fashion can be like that, a cycle. Alexander, the king of down vests in the players' tunnel, never hid his inheritance: "Iverson is unique, challenging boundaries, challenging dress codes, and always the most beautiful boy in the crowd."

So Converse invited him to endorse, playing is still a fashion card, and Alexander outbound promotional video, all such as extreme athletes, street graffiti artists, hardcore punk musicians and other young people, although Alexander is also holding a basketball, but more eye-catching is still his naked suit, big gold chain shining cool appearance. So it is not surprising that such Alexander ran to the fashion capital of Paris to participate in the fashion week show or become the face of the LV x NBA image.

But Alexander's performance on the court has been less fashionable.

What is fashion on the basketball court? Getting to the rim and shooting threes, of course, and what Alexander is best at is driving and shooting. He is the player with the most 2-point field goals made this season, one more than derozan so far, and he is also the player with the most non-assist 2-point field goals made, second only to Doncic in non-assist points under the basket; Since the league has breakthrough statistics in 2013, Alexander's average of 24 breakthroughs this season ranks second, ranking first in the 2020-21 season, averaging 25.2 times, ranking third in the last season, averaging 23.9 times.

Durant once said that a championship or an MVP is not your legacy to this league. Taking young players aside, telling them how to play, and then showing them what you taught them on the court is your legacy. By inference, if Paul retires now, his legacy in the league is Alexander, who, after playing alongside Paul for one season, is now the fewest three-point shooter among the league's top 10 scorers, and among the extender scorers averaging more than 25 points per game, his three-point attempts are the third lowest, only more than derozan and Jokic.

The opponent knows how strong Alexander is. Sable said Alexander had a strange rhythm and was very difficult to guard against; Doncic said Alexander has a unique rhythm, is good at drawing fouls and is a joy to watch. Durant said Alexander moves like a sharp veteran, full of confidence, knows his style of play will work, "mentality and skill, it is difficult to guard."

Of course, the Thunder have won only 46 games in the past two years, many people can't spell the name of their main player, nor can they spell the name of their coach, and the most impressive thing about this team so far may be the second year player Giddy's big wave and the handsome face underneath the wave that men think he is worth a wave. But you probably do need to get to know Alexander, not because every young man who can score 30+ points is worth a second look, but the league is always in iteration, and knowing a young man's starting point may be more conducive to the future.

People are starting to say that now. Doc Rivers: "I was with the Clippers and Alexander was a rookie. I wasn't so sure when we decided to send him away in the pickled pepper trade - which was pretty awesome in itself... I just can't stop thinking this kid is going to be special."

If you can't pull the face to admit that your vision is not so long-term, you can also choose to shut up, why put gold on your face. Alexander himself had some thoughts about the deal, Beverley revealed, saying after the trade: "They could have had me and Pepper."

Now Alexander should no longer think about these old memories, after all, if he really stayed in the Clippers, most of this season he should still be alone on the court, because the Clippers are difficult to put together "with, when, have, have" these four words.

Now Alexander wants to do something similar to a lot of 24-year-old young leaders, he said he and the team signed a five-year contract for a reason, I believe in the future of the team. I'm sure we won't lose for long." Alexander said that general manager Sam Presti promised him things are slowly becoming reality, as to what things he won't say, we can only guess at the current situation of the Thunder, halfway through the season, they have won 21 games, close to.500, and they drafted last summer's No. 2 pick Chet is still sitting on the bench.

Once upon a time, there were many teams that slept in the same bed with the Lakers and dreamed the same dream, the hometown team Raptors thought they were hometown, Green Kay thought they would use the 8 pick Alexander in 2018 if they did not trade Irving, the Sun thought they had mentor Paul and a bunch of trading chips, the Knicks thought they were Knicks... Mitchell was only five years of the Jazz trade is touched their heartstrings, All-Star guard Mitchell can be traded, why not Alexander? At the time, it seemed that the Thunder and Jazz rebuilding ideas are not different.

But there are still some differences, and the difference is that the same person with a large number of draft picks is different, in the draft, if Presti is James, Ainge can only be a Mosan.

Lillard looked at Alexander's performance, there are some feelings and concerns, he is not worried about Alexander's game, but from his own point of view to Alexander a little advice: "You never know how another team will treat you, especially when you are injured." No one can know. I want to tell him that the people who shout 'let him go' are not good people, they will not be responsible for you if things don't work out after you move -"

"-- don't always think the grass is greener on the other side."

I understand that Lillard is not talking to Alexander, he is just trying to convince his inner self, I have noticed that Lillard has been doing this for many years, and he will say this whenever he has the opportunity. Some people leave just because the grass on this side is indeed yellow, and whether to comfort themselves that the grass on the other side will not be greener or to jump out and eat the grass on the other side is just a personal choice, and there is no superior point.

And the reality is that Alexander's 5-year contract has not officially started, he has expressed loyalty to the team countless times, "I hope to design the Thunder jersey in the future" and such sweet words emerge endlessly, and Presti also reciprocate, "Alexander is not our short-term investment" and such honey words are also blurted out.

I love Alexander's basketball story, which is that there are no stories, no tragic childhood and gnashing teeth in the history of struggle, a young man, and some other younger people play together, not too many people pay attention to them, they make the biggest wave is no more than the 10th Western Conference, you don't know what they play so hard and disciplined for, Especially compared to the next door Rockets, you don't know why they are so young to believe in "playing by the rules", most likely they themselves are not very clear, I would certainly like to say that Paul taught Alexander what is called "professionalism", when the veteran is traded to a young team, everyone is not good. The fact that he can still carry the team forward and even make the playoffs may be an advanced work ethic lesson in itself. Not every veteran wants to do that. I do want to believe that when the veterans are gone, Alexander will carry on that style and influence other younger teammates. Paul's legacy, of course, is another beautiful story. But I have no proof.

Today, it is still difficult to imagine that the Thunder will immediately become another rising power in the West, they are the second youngest team in the league, but the average age of the Grizzlies is only 24.5 years old, only 1.5 years older than the Thunder, the seventh youngest in the league, but it is already the top contender in the West, you can hardly say that young must mean unlimited future and hope. Even if we observe Alexander's game, it is still an unknown how much the countercurrent playing method can pull its upper limit.

Let's look at Alexander's humility, constantly telling people "don't just care about my performance, we win as a team," such smart talk, as well as his two-way commitment to the Thunder.

Everyone who has been watching the NBA for years may have a knowing smile when they see these familiar scenes and dialogues, and we know that this league is too good at writing similar stories, year after year, how many teenagers swear and tear up the covenant, they call this "growth."

"Hopefully we can be a really good backcourt duo for a long time," Giddy and Alexander said in an interview together after the game.

I hope so. Just as we had so many, so many good hopes when we were young.