NBA Finals 2025: Why one Hall of Fame sidekick sees a lot of himself in OKC's Jalen Williams

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams is thriving in the shadow of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .

Pippen: "I see a guy rising to be one of the top players in this league" The Thunder have a chance to clinch their first championship in Thursday 's Game 6 of the NBA Finals .

Williams averaged 21.6 points per game this season .

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault used Williams as a point forward in Game 4 win over Pacers .

Williams is the second -youngest player in the league this season to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

Thunder coach: "We weren't pushing every button for him, but he just kept showing the ability to take more of a load" Williams credits Thunder culture for allowing him to cultivate his game while impacting winning.

Williams has boosted his scoring total in each of his three seasons , going from 14.1 points per game as a rookie to 19.1 in his second season .

His assists totals -- 3.3 , 4.5 , 5.1 -- have also increased each season.

Pippen had that sort of steady, significant improvement as the Bulls built toward becoming a dynasty .