Opponents paint a portrait of one of the NBA’s up-and-coming defenders so convincing that they are open about wanting him on their team.

The Portland Trail Blazers left the Moda Center Sunday disappointed that they couldn’t pull out a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they were still pleased with their overall effort against the NBA’s top team. The impressive play of forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara was at the heart of the Blazers’ performance during the 118-108 loss.

Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland on Sunday to push their NBA-best record to 37-8.Gilgeous-Alexander followed with a driving layup to push the lead back to double digits.