After Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams scored 40 points in Game 5 to lead the team past the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it had the basketball world buzzing about where he ranks as one of the best No. 2 options. The Thunder guard would even be compared to Scottie Pippen in that regard, as the observation was made by ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins had a segment on “NBA Today” where he focused on a player who “stood on business,” saying Williams did in Game 5 with the 40-point performance. He would go as far as to say that the outing gave him “vibes” of Pippen and explained how he effectively played his role as a “Robin” on the team, which means he was sidekick or No. 2 option to Oklahoma City's Batman in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“He did just that. That boy stood on business last night. He been standing on business all series long, especially the last three games,” Perkins said. “And I'm talking about J-Dub [Williams], that gave me Scottie Pippen vibes, 1991 vibes. You talking about Game 5 NBA Finals, the biggest stage. And you go out there, you hang a 40-piece, right? I already think Scottie Pippen is the best Robin of all time. This was one of those games right here where your Robin showed up.

Kendrick Perkins explains further how Thunder's Jalen Williams is “1b”

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Perkins wouldn't be the only one to make the comparison between the Thunder All-Star and Pippen, as Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst would bring up the same observation. The former Oklahoma City player would even say that besides being the second option on the team, he is also “1b” next to Gilgeous-Alexander.

“But when you think about Robins, you think about what SGA needed,” Perkins said. “We asked all year long, who was going to be that bona fide number two, rise to the occasion? Was it going to be J-Dub? Was it going to be SGA? He has finally came up and stepped up to the plate. That guy's a certified number two option, 1b on this team.”

At any rate, the Thunder is one game away from capturing its first championship in franchise history since the team relocated from Seattle, as the Supersonics, to their present home in Oklahoma City. With a 3-2 series lead, Game 6 will be in Indiana on Thursday.