"He's been killing it": James Harden vouches for rising star to rock signature shoe

OKC Thunder sophomore Jalen Williams received some high praise from former league MVP James Harden. Williams' contribution to the team might be flying under the radar for some due to Chet Holmgren's stellar rookie season and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's spectacular MVP-worthy run.

However, Williams has not gone completely unnoticed and Harden is among the people who have watched what he's been doing. During an interview, Harden was asked which young player he wanted to see rocking a pair of his signature shoes.

Without missing a beat, Harden named and gave props to Jalen Williams. Here is what Harden had to say about the young player and about him wearing his shoes:

"He's been killing it, you know, I mean I feel like a proud big brother but I think that's our job is to create something special to give back to the younger generation."

At 34 years old, James Harden is already one of the most decorated veterans in the league. He has won plenty of personal accolades and continues to be one of the best guards in the NBA.

Many young players would be right to view him as a role model and for him to praise a young player for what they've done can certainly be seen as a huge deal.

---

Jalen Williams is proving that he is worthy of James Harden's praise

James Harden didn't just drop Jalen Williams' name as the young player whom he'd like to see rock a pair of Adidas Harden's for no good reason.

Williams joined the NBA in 2022 as the No. 12 pick and is already making a lot of noise. In his rookie year, his points per game average was second only to Paolo Banchero at 16.2. He is also third in total points with 2,052 trailing only Bennedict Mathurin's 2,097 and Banchero's 2,729. His contributions allowed him to land a spot among the Rookie of the Year finalists.

However, his impact wasn't just on offense. He also led all rookies in steals per game (1.2) and total steals (155). This season, he has elevated his game further, scoring 19.2 points and grabbing 1.0 steals per game.

He has started in all 52 games he's played and has been instrumental in helping the Thunder (41-17) sit second in the Western Conference.

Williams has already shown that he is a great player and is likely yet to reach his full potential. He might end up becoming one of the best young players to have been drafted by the OKC Thunder, following in the footsteps of James Harden, who was once an award winner for the team and was also instrumental in helping them make an NBA Finals appearance.