Thunder All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and **Jalen Williams**‘ heroic NBA Finals performances have brought Oklahoma City to the brink of its first franchise since leaving Seattle, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
With MVP Gilgeous-Alexander still just 26 and Williams merely 24, the future is bright for this young Thunder squad.
Grange notes that Gilgeous-Alexander became first player ever to score 31 or more points, dish out 10 or more dimes, block four or more shots, and swipe two or more steals during a Finals contest in a pivotal 120-109 Game 5 win over Indiana, while Williams scored a whopping 40 points.
“He was, like, really gutsy tonight. He stepped into big plays,” said Gilgeous-Alexander of Williams. “Felt like every time we needed a shot, he made it. He wasn’t afraid. He was fearless tonight.
There’s more out of Oklahoma City:
The Thunder’s role players are happy to sublimate themselves to the greater whole, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Beyond stars Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and center Chet Holmgren, role players Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins proved critical off the bench, notching 25 combined points, to help Oklahoma City ice the win. All-Defensive wings Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso have been crucial on both ends of the hardwood throughout the series. “That’s the culture of our whole team,” Williams said. “Everybody is ready to do whatever it takes to win.”
Wiggins in particular has been a huge boon for the Thunder throughout the Finals, on both sides of the rock. As Rylan Stiles of Thunder On SI observes, the fact that a former No. 55 draft pick can even have any kind of playoff impact is a great reflection on Oklahoma City’s system.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander has been averaging 32.4 points, 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.8 blocks a night through five games for the Thunder, Zach Harper of The Athletic wonders if an ascendant Williams could swipe that honor from him with his terrific two-way play of late, highlighted by his Game 5 scoring explosion. Across Oklahoma City’s last three contests in the series, during which the team has gone 2-1, Williams has averaged 31 points while shooting 50.8% from the field and 40% from distance.