Thunder's Jalen Williams signals arrival as bona fide star with takeover in NBA Finals Game 5 vs. Pacers

From the onset of the Thunder's 120-109 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it was evident that Jalen Williams would make his presence felt.

The Thunder's third-year All-NBA forward assisted on his team's first basket of the night and delivered two booming dunks by the eight-minute mark in the first quarter. It was the second consecutive game that Williams' aggression set the tone for OKC to handle the Pacers' depth and balanced attack.

By the night's end, Williams had turned in the best performance of his young career. Fittingly, it came in the biggest game of his life.

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Thanks largely to Williams' contributions, the Thunder have moved within one win away from the franchise's first title since arriving in Oklahoma City. And while this one will be looked back on as an iconic moment in the 2025 NBA Finals, there's a chance it means much, much more in the grand scheme.

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Jalen Williams signals arrival with Game 5 takeover

To say that Williams, who recently turned 24, has displayed a veteran's wisdom with an innate ability to understand the gravity of the moment would be an understatement.

As he did in Game 4, Williams entered the game with a marked level of assertiveness and aggression. The only thing louder than his first two buckets was the reaction from the Paycom Center crowd.

Those two dunks represented four of Williams' six points in the first frame, but he also pulled down two boards and dished out three assists in the game's first 12 minutes.

By halftime, Williams was up to a game-high 16 points on efficient 6-of-12 shooting from the field, all while doing his part in manning the offense and playing at an All-Defensive Team level on that end of the floor.

Beginning in Game 4, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault put the ball in Williams' hands more to relieve pressure from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For the second straight game, Williams stepped up in those positions, which, in turn, opened things up more for Gilgeous-Alexander.

Related: Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and a game-high 10 assists after dishing out zero dimes in Game 4.

While the Pacers threatened to come back in the second half, Williams answered the call. He displayed incredible poise and confidence throughout the game's most crucial moments, including this turnaround jumper that effectively put the game away.

WE SEE YOU DUB 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nGdW8Cp8UR

Williams wrapped the game with an 11-point fourth quarter to finish with a playoff career-best 40 points, the second 40-point performance of his career. 

Again: Williams is just 24 and in the third season of his career. This is only the beginning.

Williams' performance in Game 5 was a loud announcement of his arrival as an undeniable star. He's racked up accolades with All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive Team selections this season, but what he's done during these Finals has cemented his standing more than any credential could.

More than that, Williams' chemistry with Gilgeous-Alexander shows that the Thunder have crafted the perfect duo of complementary stars, each of whom is currently under the age of 27.

Just as this is Williams' third year in the NBA, this is the third year of their pairing. The first order of business is finding a way to win one more game to win a title, which would open the door for bigger-picture thinking about how solid this duo can be for years to come.

If OKC does capture the Larry O'Brien trophy this year, Williams' Game 5 performance — and his resounding arrival as a bona fide star — could be looked back upon as a major turning point for the Thunder franchise.

MORE: How Jalen Williams went from three-star recruit to one half of OKC's All-Star duo

Jalen Williams Game 5 stats vs. Pacers

Williams finished with 40 points on 56.0 percent shooting from the field, becoming the third-youngest player in the past 50 years to score 40-plus in a Finals game. The company he joins is a pair of former MVPs in Magic Johnson (20 years, 1980) and Russell Westbrook (23 years, 2012).

In addition to that company, Williams is the first Thunder player to score 25-plus points in three consecutive Finals games since Kevin Durant did it during OKC's 2012 Finals series. Williams scored, rebounded, and made plays for his team, doing so with a scary level of efficiency.

• Points: 40
• Rebounds: 6
• Assists: 4
• Steals: 1
• Blocks: 0
• TOs: 4
• Fouls: 4
• FG: 14-25 (56.0%)
• 3FG: 3-5 (60.0%)
• FT: 9-12 (75.0%)