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The discourse surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder all playoffs long has been rather confusing. There are times where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness is questioned, which some critics saying that he has his stacked team to thank for his excellent play and eventual MVP coronation. And then on other times, fans are crying out that Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't have a legitimate number two option, and that OKC eventually has to find better co-stars for the reigning MVP than Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Monday night showed that the Thunder definitely have enough to win it all and compete for the foreseeable future. Williams put up the best game of his life, dropping 40 points on 14-25 shooting in a 120-109 victory for OKC in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers — quieting his doubters in the process.
Williams proved that he has it in him to be the co-star Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder need to win a championship, as they need to win just one more game to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. But Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault doesn't want to engage in simplistic NBA discourse, as his goal is to simply help develop all OKC players to be the best version of themselves that they can be — which Williams was in Game 5.
“Respectfully, we don’t look at it like that. Like second guy, third guy.. We’re just trying to help every guy grow and improve,” Daigneault said, per Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder.
Hierarchies are important to sort out for NBA teams to function like a well-oiled machine. It's clear that Williams is the Robin to Gilgeous-Alexander's Batman. But the Thunder know that two star players do not a championship team make. Even in Game 5, they would not have won over the Pacers if they didn't get timely triples from the likes of Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace.
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Jalen Williams rises to the occasion for the Thunder
At only 24 years of age, Williams can say that he has a 40-point game in the NBA Finals. And it could not have come at a better time for the Thunder, as they capitalized on the momentum they had built after stealing Game 4 from under the Pacers' collective nose.
Game 6 will be the ultimate test of Williams and the Thunder's mettle. The Pacers, a team that doesn't know the definition of the word “quit”, will give it their all. But with Williams providing the amount of support that Gilgeous-Alexander needs (and then some), OKC has the tools at their disposal to win the first NBA title in Oklahoma City history on the road.
