Why Alex Caruso is the X-Factor this season...

It has been far, far too long since we have gotten an update on the oldest player on the OKC roster. We haven't gotten a video on Alex Caruso in quite some time here on Thunder Digest. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly what I am ecstatic to bring you guys here today. The update on number nine, Alex Caruso. The man who played a pivotal role in dragging that San Antonio Spurs series out to seven this past postseason and on top of that played a huge role in getting that team over the hump and capturing the first championship just two seasons ago. Well, Caruso had some comments about his role for this upcoming season. We're going to go over that, where we see him standing as this season draws closer and closer just two weeks away until that opener against San Antonio. We go out to the Spurs home court and we have a chance to make a statement this season that we will not be rolled over. And we are going to be live streaming it here on Thunder Digest, that watch along. Me and Ryan, that duo stream is going to be great. And we want you there to watch it. So make sure that you're subscribed. We're trying to hit 11,000 subscribers by opening night, October 20th. So make sure you're subbed up so you can catch that live stream and join us there on opening night. It's been a long time coming. And also so you can catch these videos in the downtime, stay up to date with the Thunder all in one place from me and Ryan. Thank you guys for helping us hit 10,000 subscribers. We're on to that 11,000 subscriber goal for this upcoming season. We're going to get into this video right after this message from our sponsor. If you're anything like me, then you'll understand that frustrating struggle of trying to find the perfect belt to go with your great outfit. Mine, they never seem to fit me quite right. And even if they did, they're all old, stretched out and beat up. And they throw off my entire look or just make me feel uncomfortable. 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And honestly, you could see that as a compliment to Caruso, that he was never being considered to be moved while the team was making these trades in the off season. Something we're going to get into later, but right now the headline we're looking at, Alex Caruso, uncertain about his role, but confident in the OKC Thunder. The Thunder's veteran guard doesn't know what next season will look like, but he is ready to get back on the floor. And Alex Caruso, a guy who, you know, he has his ups and downs in the regular season. We've had our ebbs and flows with him hitting his threes, him having his cold streaks from behind the arc. But when it is playoff time, this man, he shows up more than anybody. He gets the job done more than anybody. Alex Caruso is known for being a defender, known for being a glue guy, a role player for sure, but a Hall of Fame level role player that does all of the dirty work, the little things that are necessary and conducive to winning at a high level consistently in the NBA. And on top of that, when he talks about his role with this team, not knowing his role for this team for the upcoming year. Well, there is one thing you can pencil in for certain that he will be, and that is the veteran leader, because he is the oldest player at 32 years old on this very young Thunder team. By average age, they're the second youngest team in the league, just barely trailing the Memphis Grizzlies. And if you take this team's average age and use that by minutes played, by usage of players, if you go by any of those metrics, weighted on how many, you know, players are playing the game, the Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA based on the players they use. So Alex Caruso, his veteran leadership, his, you know, old man status in this team, it is important. A guy like Kenrich Williams, it's likewise with him. These guys who are 30 plus on the Thunder, they're pretty few and far in between. So having that experience and bringing that over, it is very big, especially when you take into account the fact that Caruso is the only guy on the roster who has won a championship outside of the Thunder organization. Back in the bubble, 2020 alongside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis captured his first ring on the Lakers. Likewise, in a very role player-esque role on that team, he was able to maximize his contributions while staying within his limitations. And when you take a look at a guy like Caruso, the reason that he's even kind of questioning his role coming into this year, right? It's because he didn't have the greatest regular season last season. He averaged just over six points a game, right around three boards a game and a pair of assists a game and about a pair of stocks a game as well. His shooting splits weren't the greatest. He shot 43% from the field and he shot below 30% from behind the three-pointer. Now, as we know with a guy like Caruso, we don't really measure his impact in the box score, especially in the counting stats. Because this guy, he gives it all in any sort of metric and that's really where his value is. It's in that hustle. It's in that, you know, never give up dog mentality. And I mean, just take a look at this play right here. You see Alex Caruso with one shoot. He's getting creative and chasing it with everything he has. Giving it his all on the defensive end every single second he's out there. Now, he would get a technical foul for this attempted and might I add successful shoe block. But, you know, just the spirit of not allowing a basket by any means possible when he's on the floor. It is something that you have to admire with Alex Caruso and something that won't always show up in the stat sheet. Him diving after loose balls, running through screens hard and chasing the ball handler. That is the Alex Caruso experience and what he provides on a nightly basis. Now, the thing that was problematic was his shooting was so streaky and so cold. Last regular season, right? Especially from the corners. You take a look at his efficiency from the corners. 25% from the one corner and 11% from the other corner. And then the wing, you've seen 28%. He is hot from the top of the arc at 40 above the break, which is pretty uncommon. The corners are supposed to be the easy spots to shoot the threes from, especially in the NBA. But he could not buy really a bucket from the three-point line. 11 and 25% from those spots. And as a role player, you're going to be spotted up in the corner a lot more often, right? Because guys like Shay are handling the ball. J-Dub, AJ Mitchell, all these guys showing the ball up top. You're more of a driving kick option. You're gonna be taking more of your threes from that area than an above the break in general. So Alex Caruso shooting under 30% from three in the regular season. Was it a cause for concern? No, the answer really is no, because Alex Caruso is unlike any other player that we really see in the fact that he turns it up every postseason. So consistently, multiple notches, right? Alex Caruso, fresh off of shooting 29% from behind the arc throughout a 70 plus game sample size in the regular season. Well, he comes in during the playoffs and immediately flips the switch. He's shooting nearly 45% from behind the arc on five attempts a game. Because you know that Caruso's usage, his minutes in the playoffs, they go up. He went from playing 18 minutes a game to playing 23 and a half minutes a game. And we still see him rebounding the ball three a game, assist two, still seeing two stocks a game, not turning the ball over and a whopping plus minus that just shows that this guy impacts winning at an insane level. And in the playoffs, it's so crazy how consistently he's able to just like that flip a switch. And we have seen this in years past. But this year, especially, it was important because we were missing guys like AJ Mitchell, like J-Dub. We were shorthanded. And especially on the offensive end, we needed a guy who could step it up. And Alex Caruso, boy was he that, especially in the Western Conference Finals Game 1. The Thunder blew through the Suns and blew through the Lakers in the first two rounds. They hit their first roadblock Game 1. The Spurs let them know that this was not going to be a cakewalk. And Alex Caruso himself was one of the biggest factors on the offensive end. Let us take a look at him going ballistic, especially from behind the arc, dropping over 30 points. And this team struggled to get it going. Look at this, zero points over three minutes in when Alex Caruso breaks the seal with a top-of-the-key three-pointer. Then you still see nobody else has scored nearly five minutes into the game. Alex Caruso drives and gets one over Wembenyama. And then wouldn't you know it, Caruso guarding Wembenyama, fronts him for the steal, and goes coast-to-coast for the team's third basket. Finally, someone else chips in with some points. And then Shea gets the drive, kicks it out. Corner three, Caruso again. He literally got this team off of the ground in Game 1 because no one else could buy a bucket. So the fact that they were able to take this game into overtime, I mean, Alex Caruso was the guy who was helping them get there. Time and time again, you see him making San Antonio pay for leaving him open on that perimeter. And you know, props to Shea for being such a willing passer and such a, you know, non-selfish player just to give this look up over and over again to Caruso when he sees that San Antonio is, you know, hard doubling on these drives. You see the defense still there, absolutely swatting Castle. And this was just such an impressive performance from Caruso. 31 points, eight made threes. You see some impressive drives to the basket to put some pressure on the rim. And time and time again, Shea Gilchrist Alexander finding Caruso when it mattered most in overtime. Down four, need to have a bucket with two minutes left. No one but Caruso. And then you see him get the steal, tip it to J-Dub who goes ahead and gets the lead with just a pair of minutes to go. So absolutely amazing performance from Alex Caruso in that Game 1. He went and, you know, put the Thunder right in the thick of that game nearly by himself on the offensive end, getting it done. He was guarding Wembenyama, probably the most effective out of any Thunder defender in that first game. Because if you remember, Hartenstein only played about 12 minutes in that first contest. So a lot of, you know, question marks surrounded that Game 1 loss. But Alex Caruso's impact definitely was felt. There was no doubt about it. When you take a look at Caruso, what he is able to do in the playoffs as a riser, I mean, it's just so consistent that you have to recognize it. And in that Game 1, man, domination. Straight domination, 31 points, eight three-pointers made in that double overtime game. And he kept that team in it over and over again, hitting threes to keep them in it, helping get critical stops on the defensive end as he always does. Alex Caruso, absolutely incredible. In this playoff run, really, as we take a look at those numbers, 45% from behind the arc on nearly five attempts per game. And last year, the year before that, I mean, he once again delivered in the playoffs, was able to get it done. Because the team was the first seed this season. Before that, lost to the Dallas Mavericks, who would go on to represent the Western Conference in the finals. So Sam Presti said, we got to find a way to get over this hump, right? He moves out Josh Giddey, a guy who was capable of handling the ball, being a real deal playmaker for the Thunder. And this team has proven that they need, you know, offensive initiators, especially when J-Dub, A.J. Mitchell went down with injury, that that is needed. However, a glue guy like Caruso has been so valuable to this team that this really looks like a trade that's a win-win for both sides. Giddey looks great on the Chicago Bulls, and Caruso, I mean, helped us win that championship. We don't win that championship without Alex Caruso, because if you remember how dominant he was during the playoff run in 2025, I mean, he started out game one. He only played 12 minutes, didn't even attempt a shot, and had a plus 30 rating against the Memphis Grizzlies. Was able to go out there and, like we talked about with the glue guy, impact the game so much more than the box score, than shooting the ball, than really even possessing the ball, but just doing everything else on the court for the Thunder. And then fast forward to the next round in the playoff series, I mean, does it get any bigger than game seven Caruso against the Denver Nuggets? This game had me quaking in my boots. I was terrified going into this game. It felt like the biggest game in the history of the franchise, that game seven against Denver. And what do you know, Mark Dagnall comes up with the craftiest, most ballsy game plan that I have ever seen from a coach in this game seven, and puts none other than Alex Caruso on Nikola Jokic. And let's just take a look at how that went for the Thunder, because boy did it work better than they could have ever imagined. On the defensive end, Caruso was giving Jokic fits all game long. You see him just bodying him, getting into Jokic, flustering the seven foot, 270 pound center in Nikola Jokic, who looked powerless trying to get around Alex Caruso, a six foot five guard, who was closing out hard around screen, fronting the big man in the post, just fighting for every single inch of positioning. And he was winning time and time again against Jokic. And the Thunder in this game seven, they just pulled away slowly, but surely kept their foot on the gas. And this game ended up being an absolute blowout for the Thunder. They went and took care of business to the utmost degree. And Caruso showed up on the defensive end, and also on the offensive end as well. I mean, he shot five for seven, knocked down a couple of big looks, got out in transition, and scored in the paint as well. So took advantage of Jokic's a little bit softer paint defense, and really did everything you could ask for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this win. So whenever you're talking about a guy who you call on as a bench role player, who just delivers time and time again, when their number is called in their role, and just steps up to the plate, Alex Caruso is that guy time and time again. You see in that game seven, he went out and just delivered. The Thunder blew out the Nuggets, and Jokic shruggled the entire game. 37 minutes, only puts up 20 points, had five turnovers and a minus 23 rating. Caruso on the other hand, 26 minute play, he has a plus 40 rating in those 26 minutes. Adds in three steals, three assists, and shoots five of seven from the field in that game seven win, was the pivotal deciding X factor in the Thunder advancing into the next round, and eventually winning that NBA championship in 2025. And if you take a look at Caruso's holistic playoff run, I mean, this past year was the second year in a row that he massively stepped it up in the playoffs. Because similar to this past season, we see him kind of struggling to shoot the rock from the outside 35% in the 25 regular season, and he steps it up in the playoffs. 41% from behind the arc, his minutes go up five plus minutes a game, same as this past year, and he delivers in the scoring department, in the rebounding department, while not sacrificing on the defensive end. That is Alex Caruso, and this guy might take 82 games to get warmed up throughout the regular season, but if we can count on him to become a 40% three-point shooter and a premier perimeter defender, who can also double down onto the bigs. We saw him do it with Jokic, we saw him do it with Wemba Nyong'o this past year. He, for some reason, possesses a really god-gifted ability to guard big men down in the post. So it's very strange how he's able to do that as well, but if he's able to do that consistently year in, year out, well, we have no need to worry about Alex Caruso, his role with his team, his production, any of that. Because the biggest compliment you can give Alex Caruso isn't the fact that, yes, he is the only two-time champion in the organization, the only guy who's won outside of his team, this system, this amazing system built by the Thunder, it's the fact that, while the Thunder were cutting down underneath that luxury tax, trimming three different guys this off-season, were they gonna keep Hart, were they gonna keep Thor, all these talks about player options, you didn't hear a peep about anyone wanting to move Alex Caruso, the oldest player on the roster, the guy who has his deal rising year after year, and he's making $20 million this year, right? Yet nobody is clamoring for Alex Caruso to make less money to them, consider restructuring his deal, none of the above, because they know when it becomes playoff time, when it's winning time, that he is one of the most important pieces to this Thunder puzzle, right? Alex Caruso, a veteran leader, not only that, one of the greatest role players ever. And I truly do believe this, because you take a look at everything you can ask a player to do, other than, you know, possessing the basketball and running the offense. I mean, Alex Caruso is pretty A1 in a lot of those categories, defense, scoring the ball, playing without the ball in his hands. You know, in the playoffs, he proves time and time again that he can shoot, score, do these things that you don't see him normally doing in the regular season, but that he possesses the talent to do on the biggest stages in basketball. So Alex Caruso at 32 years old, making $20 million a year, he is one of the more important pieces on this Thunder roster for them winning the championship and getting back to that mountain. We saw him step up with offensive options down this past run, and it wasn't quite enough to get the team over the hump, but we can all agree that it wasn't Alex Caruso's fault and that we are looking forward to seeing this guy go out there and absolutely ball again this coming season. This coming season that is approaching us very, very quickly, just two weeks remain until the regular season tips off, until OKC travels out to San Antonio, me and Ryan debut that duo watch along for this upcoming season. We want 11,000 subscribers by that time. Make sure you're one of those 11,000 people by hitting that button, and so you can stay up to date with all your OKC news, all in one easy, convenient place. This has been Gabriel Eversole for Thunder Digest, breaking down some Alex Caruso updates here today, where he stands, you know, from this past couple of playoff runs, moving into this next season with the Thunder, the oldest player on this team, the veteran leader, that is Alex Caruso, playoff impact, that is Alex Caruso, your news, that is Thunder Digest. Make sure you're a part of that family, subbed up, and I will catch you in my next video. And until then, peace and love, my friends.