I’ve watched too many young players get swallowed by the system—stat-driven narratives that erase real stories. Jalen Williams, a Chicago-born son of mixed heritage, didn’t just score 25.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in three Finals games—he became the fifth player under 25 to do it. This isn’t stats. It’s silence screaming against a myth: that hard work alone matters. Here, in the concrete streets where jazz meets jump shots, talent isn’t measured by box scores—it’s measured by who still shows up when no one’s watching.