The Raptors are familiar with the abundant talents of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the afternoon last month when he scorched them for 32 points and had the game-sealing basket of an Oklahoma City victory in Toronto.
The second-year Thunder guard, Toronto-born and Hamilton-raised, is primed to meet the Raptors in Oklahoma City on Wednesday coming off a record-setting performance that has raised his profile as a burgeoning NBA star even more.
“That’s the beauty of the NBA,” Toronto’s Marc Gasol said Tuesday. “You see guys and you see the process of their growth and the good players continue to get better over the years.