Analysis | Jaylen Williams is already the strongest second in the league, and even James is hard to gain the upper hand

(The original article was published on June 17, the author is BradBotkin of CBS Sports, and the content of the article does not represent the translator's views)

Finals Series G4, Alexander won 15 of the last 16 points in this most critical battle, leading the team to complete a shocking reversal, the Pacers equalized the series. Everyone is talking about this moment, and the MVP turns on the Killing God mode at the decisive moment. Alexander did, and there is no doubt that we are witnessing this young man growing into an epoch-making genius.

But Alexander wouldn't even get a chance to finish the game without Jaylen Williams (and Caruso). In the fourth game, Jaylen Williams scored 26 points and scored multiple singles, while the Thunder only sent 12 assists in the game, and the offensive system almost completely stagnated in the first three and a half quarters.

Jaylen Williams is an All-Star player and is actually at the best team level. This beast with both offense and defense is one of the top singles in the league, but the outside world has insufficient discussion of him because Alexander is even more dazzling. Just as Pippen to Jordan, Jaylen Williams perfectly plays Alexander's deputy role. In the fifth game of the finals, he broke out again, scoring 40 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, stabilizing the situation when the Pacers counterattacked again, and finally helped the Thunder secure the victory 120-109.

Thunder currently leads the series 3-2 and will move to Indiana in the sixth game. For all fans, especially Jaylen Williams, 24, this round of the finals series is very exciting. Jaylen Williams has become the fifth player in NBA history to score more than 25 points in three consecutive Finals before the age of 25. Only Irving, Durant, O'Neal and Wade have achieved this achievement. On this greatest stage in basketball, Jaylen Williams is standing on the sidelines of the greatest stars in history.

(The picture shows the youngest player in the finals' history score of 40+ in a single game, from top to bottom, Magic Johnson, Rick Barry (x3), Westbrook, Jerry West, Jaylen Williams)

If the screening conditions are raised to "more than 40 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds", there will be only four people left in this historical list: Magic Johnson, Rick Barry, Westbrook and now Jaylen Williams. In the finals series G5, he unlocked almost all scoring methods: catch jump shots, back-run and empty cuts, flash dunks in the penalty area, silky-sliding baskets with left and right hands, fast break end, single-foot boarding, single-back jump shot, 3 of 5 three-pointers (previously, three-pointers in the series were his only missed), plus 9 of 12 free throws, which is completely a dominant performance.

"He played extraordinary courage tonight," Alexander commented on Jaylen Williams. "Every key round, he can hit every goal we need. He is fearless, he can do everything tonight."

Jaylen Williams' scoring style is reminiscent of Leonard, creating space through shoulder sinking and hip swing, and combining with the explosive last step of rushing or moving, even the top defenders are difficult to limit. Jaylen Williams has real superstar skills, but he perfectly adapts to the role of the second leader: always prepare for the ball when Alexander breaks into the penalty area, and can take over the game when needed, and never deliberately force performance.

"Strong impact, this is the keyword. During Jaylen Williams' growth, we always emphasize this point. He can always perform this dominant performance at his best." Thunder head coach Mark Dignot said, "With incredible performance throughout the game, he kept the throttle open all night, continued to put huge pressure, and made countless correct decisions. We need him to continue this state in the sixth game."

If the Thunder finally won the championship, Alexander would deserve to win the FMVP. But if it were other teams or other series (although Alexander also played against the sky), Jaylen Williams was worthy of the honor. He averaged 31 points and 6 rebounds in the past three games, shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three-point shooting. Without him, the Thunder would have been defeated as early as the fourth game; if Jaylen Williams had not continued to produce efficiently, the Thunder in the fifth game would have been a victim of the Pacers' counterattack again.

"He is the kind of person you sincerely want to see him succeed, especially when you really understand him." Thunder insider Homgren said after the fifth game of the Finals. "You will cheer him on. He maintains his professional attitude day after day, treats everyone well off the court, is always humble and polite, and trains extremely hard. Such a guy deserves reward. We witnessed all this tonight, but not just tonight. Without his outstanding performance, we can't get here at all, so we must make sure he gets the praise and flowers he deserves."

If Jaylen Williams is not considered "giving flowers", I really don't know what to think. Some people may think it is a bit exaggerated to compare Jaylen Williams to Pippen, but we emphasize specific role positioning. Both are second-in-commands around MVP who have exceeded the standard strength but are perfectly adapted, rather than strict one-to-one comparisons.

But similarities do exist: the characteristics of an offense and defense, excellent physical condition and athletic ability. In fact, I think Jaylen Williams has surpassed Pippen in scoring and shooting. If you think this statement is too advanced, please remember that he is only 24 years old and time will tell everything.

Overall, Pippen is the benchmark for the super deputy, and Jaylen Williams is perfectly replicating this positioning. To be honest, the second leader is the best yardstick to measure the team's championship potential (at least from an individual perspective). It is them who share the pressure and unleash the dominance of the core players by forcing the defense to distract themselves. When asked how easy Jaylen Williams made the game, Alexander gave the answer after the game.

"It's so much easier," said Alexander, "not only for me, but for the whole team, he can carry the burden. I've said long ago that when he is in his best form, he can contribute everything to the team on both sides of the offense and defense. That's right, like you said, he was so great tonight. When he played this, the game became completely different. ”

Looking at the league, superstars are constant variables, and to some extent they offset each other. The Knicks know what Brunson will bring, and the Timberwolves understand that Edwards' performance starts with Towns and Randall. When the Nuggets enter the playoff series, you won't question Jokic's performance, and the answer is obvious: he always plays dominant performance. The real question is: How will Jamal Murray play?

In the context of today's league talent boom, almost every team has Superstar. But this team is truly competitive only when the second leader can also play star performance. Last year, Irving performed amazingly for the Mavericks, and the team eventually entered the finals; while in the Celtics, although Tatum is the number one star, FMVP was won by Jaylen Brown.

Curry's performance is never amazing, but the Warriors won the championship in 2022 because Wiggins played the best performance in their career. This year, their regained championship strength was not because Curry, but because of Butler. Before the qualified second-in-command, the Warriors had a hard time.

The Cavaliers were able to reverse the Warriors from a 1-3 despair in 2016, not just because James (he could dominate every game), but because they also had one of the best second-in-commands in history, and scored consecutive points alongside James. Halliburton is the Pacers' number one star, but the real reason why the team can win the championship is that Siakam played the top second-in-command performance.

The so-called "second-in-command" The key to distinguishing excellent teams from great teams, and the reason why the Thunder is great is because Jaylen Williams played a core performance. Looking around the league today (please answer honestly, James fans), how many second-in-commands can beat Jaylen Williams? Jaylen Brown? No. Towns? Impossible. Butler? Stop funny. Harden? Jamal Murray? Siakam? Healthy Lillard? Maxi? All are slightly inferior.

At this stage, even if you take James (now Doncic's Deputy) and Jaylen Williams are also hard to gain the upper hand. Davis and Irving (depending on who you think is the second in charge of the Mavericks) still have room for discussion, but Irving will be absent most of the next season, so Davis is the team's number one choice. Booker is worth paying attention, but once Durant is traded, he will no longer be the second in charge.

If Durant joins the Timberwolves or the Knicks to assist Edwards or Brunson, he may be able to compete with Jaylen Williams for the strongest second in charge of the league. But to be honest, consider it Career stage and development potential, Jaylen Williams is already a scoring machine and top defender who averages 22+ games in the playoffs. There is still huge room for growth in the future, and I will still choose him.

When this level of output is paired with MVP players, the chemical reactions generated will increase exponentially. Jaylen Williams and Alexander scored 71 points in the fifth game of the finals, becoming the second pair of finals that won 40+ and 30+ games in the past 40 years. The other pair is from the 2016-17 season. James and Irving.

This is the height of our discussion, reaching the historical level. Even as the second player in the team, Jaylen Williams has proved that he is one of the best players in the world. This is exactly the realm of Pippen, at least Jaylen Williams is moving along this trajectory. He may never be Jordan, but he doesn't need it. Alexander has taken on this role perfectly.

As long as he fights side by side with Alexander, Jaylen Williams is destined to be a little dim, but the spotlight is always It will shine directly on him from time to time. This is exactly the night of the fifth game of the Finals. He became the best player in the game, leading this best team of the season is only one step away from winning the championship, and this may be the beginning of many future championships of the Thunder. The Thunder has all the elements of winning the championship: MVP, historical defense, and Jaylen Williams, a fantasy deputy who may be establishing the status of "the strongest second in the league" in front of us.

Original text: BradBotkin

Compiled by: Li Taibai