After outlasting the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are a game away from winning the title. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an impenetrable defense have gotten the most credit for OKC’s success, but it was Jalen Williams who carried them to victory in Game 5 with a 40-point effort, his third stellar game in a row.
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OKC will have a shot to close things out tomorrow night in Indiana, and if they want to avoid a Game 7, they’ll need J-Dub to step up again.
Williams may not be a household name to the casual fan, but he’s been a known commodity in NBA circles as he’s risen to stardom this year. Now, thanks to his outstanding Finals performance, he’s finally getting his full due.
Kendrick Perkins compared J-Dub’s performance on Monday night to what Scottie Pippen did in the 1991 NBA Finals as he closed out the Los Angeles Lakers with a hefty 32 point, 13 rebound, 7 assist, 5 steal statline. Like Pippen, Williams is also one of the top defenders of his era, excelling both in 1-on-1 and help situations.
Keyon Dooling appeared on All the Smoke yesterday, and he shared Big Perk’s sentiment. “I’m gonna say that J-Dub is cut from that Scottie Pippen cloth,” he said. “Not only can he lock you up on the defensive end, but he’s somebody who can go out and drop 40 on you on the biggest stage, and be that Robin to SGA, who is Batman.”
Like Michael Jordan and Pippen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams have often been compared to DC Comics’ most famous duo, and Dooling hammered the point home by saying that Williams “is probably the best second option in the NBA.”
It’s impossible to dispute the impact Williams has had on the Thunder’s title chances, though not everyone is ready to compare him to arguably the best second option of all time. Stephen A. Smith wasn’t ready to put Williams on Pippen’s level just yet, but he did give him his flowers by mentioning that he was one of only two players this year to make an All-NBA team and the All-Defensive team (Evan Mobley was the other).
Stephen A. also put Williams ahead of Pippen in one respect, as he said, “I have never seen a game with Michael Jordan on the court where Scottie Pippen was the No. 1 option. That never happened. That happened last night with Jalen Williams.”
Williams has a long way to go to catch Pippen’s career accomplishments, though interestingly, he’s a year younger than Pippen was when he exploded onto the scene in the ’91 Finals. With their ridiculously deep roster and a treasure trove of draft picks in the next few years, the Thunder are positioned to go on a Bulls-like run in the near future. If they do, and Williams keeps playing this way, those comparisons will only intensify.
