Examining NBA's elite second options in wake of Jalen Williams' career-defining performance

Much like when LeBron James and Kyrie Irving played together, or Luka Doncic and Kyrie, or Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Williams, as the second option, is entirely capable of captaining the offense as the primary option for stretches of games or even entire games. 

Is Williams, still just beginning his prime, already the best second option in the league? Below is a list of worthy candidates who have every right to stake their claim as the premier supporting star in the Association. 

Pascal Siakam

The Pacers may be on the brink of elimination after dropping two games in a row in the Finals, but they have an elite second option themselves in Pascal Siakam. A champion back in 2019 with the Raptors, where he played second fiddle to Kawhi Leonard, Siakam has long been one of the more consistent and underrated stars in the league. Not only has Siakam been named to three All-Star and two All-NBA teams, but Siakam has always contributed to winning wherever he's been. 

Tyrese Haliburton undoubtedly deserves the lion’s share of the credit for Indiana’s resurgence back to prominence, but it wasn’t until Siakam arrived in town that everything really started clicking for the Pacers. With a unique and versatile skill set that allows Siakam to be a threat from all three levels, Siakam is the perfect complementary star. 

Jaylen Brown

If this list were written a year ago, Brown would be well within his rights to claim second option superiority. Coming off a championship and Finals MVP, he may have even been well within his rights to claim to be even more than just an elite second option — although, that might be pushing it just a bit. Fast forward a year, however, and after averaging his lowest points per game (22.2) in over five years and getting bounced in the second round, some of that elite-level luster has worn off. 

Things have just been trending slightly downward for him — and the C’s overall — over the last year or so. Make no mistake, Brown is still a dominant second option, someone who would be the best player on his team for about half the teams in the league. Next season, he will have to be that for the Celtics, as Tatum is expected to miss all of 2025-26 with an Achilles injury.

Jimmy Butler

Of all the players on this list, Butler may be the one who embraces his role as a second go-to option most. While Butler spent many years as his team's unquestioned alpha and primary scoring option, there's no question that on his new team in Golden State, he is there to offer complementary support to Stephen Curry. Butler is still a driven scorer, creative playmaker and play finisher and a tenacious defender — even at 35 years of age — but it's clear he’s lost a step or two over the last few years. Butler averaged just 17.5 points per game — his lowest since 2013-14 — and it's unlikely that number undergoes significant juicing. 

With that being said, although Butler’s numbers may not quite stack up to some of his younger, more in-prime second option peers, there's a reason the Warriors went out and acquired him last year. There's a reason the Warriors' season completely turned around once Butler arrived in town. What makes Butler so elite as a supporting star is not just the numbers he puts up, but the intangibles and ferocious win-at-all-cost mentality he imbues in the locker room.