With the Oklahoma City Thunder preparing for Game 5 after winning Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers last Friday, the key impactful players on the team besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are no doubt Jalen Williams. As the Thunder star in Williams has been a key No. 2 option to Gilgeous-Alexander, ESPN's Brian Windhorst would go so far as to make the comparison that he's heard that he's like Scottie Pippen.

On the show “Get Up,” the panel would be asked, “What will be the most important determining factor in Game 5?” as Windhorst spoke about the importance of Williams and how he helps Gilgeous-Alexander. It would be here that Windhorst mentions that he's heard around the league that people believe Williams will have a career like Pippen.

“Yeah, so the big thing that was the difference maker in game four was how SGA [Gilgeous-Alexander] worked with Jalen Williams,” Windhorst said. “There are people in this league who believe that Jalen Williams can have a Scottie Pippen-like career, because he can do it at both ends.”

Pippen was a crucial part of the six titles won by the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s as he was a highly effective player on both sides of the ball and acted as a No. 2 option to that of Michael Jordan. Thus, Williams gets the comparison since he embodies those traits.

Thunder duo will be “big thing” for “next decade” 

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With the Thunder looking to make history in the NBA Finals, Game 5 will no doubt be important for Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and the rest to take a 3-2 series lead. Looking beyond the current championship series, Windhorst would go on to say that this duo will be a “big thing” for the “next decade” in the league.

“The playing of point guard throughout the first three quarters of this game, and then working in the two-man game to force a better matchup for SGA,” Windhorst said. “Jalen Williams was the guy who unlocked SGA throughout that whole game, and that one-two maneuver could be a big thing, not just tonight, but for the next decade in the NBA.”

At any rate, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in Oklahoma City, is looking to take back the series lead with Game 5 being on their home floor as it takes place on Monday night.