Alex Caruso arrived in Oklahoma City in September 2016, his NBA aspirations still distant, sporting a full head of hair. He was one of six participants in a tryout for an Exhibit 10 contract, offering a $50,000 bonus and a spot on the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder`s G League affiliate.
Unbeknownst to Caruso, he was the primary focus of the Thunder`s management and coaching staff. Mark Daigneault, then the Blue`s coach and now the Thunder`s head coach, already admired Caruso`s intense competitiveness from his college days at Texas A&M. Daigneault recalled how Caruso played so relentlessly during a significant loss to Florida that he questioned whether Caruso was even aware of the score.
While the other players at the tryout were, as Daigneault politely put it, “not professional-level basketball players,” Caruso still made a powerful impression. Recognizing the situation, he quickly began guiding the workout, essentially coaching the other participants.
That afternoon, Caruso secured one of the Blue`s final roster spots, receiving a $13,000 salary in addition to his bonus. For one season, he served as a passionate leader for the Blue, starting at point guard as they finished 34-16 and advanced to the second round of the G League playoffs.
Caruso attributes that year to building the fundamental foundation essential for establishing himself in the NBA as a defensive anchor, a role that contributed to his championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers a few years later. He returned to Oklahoma City this season as the experienced voice (“old head”) on a notably young and talented team. Eight years after coaching tryout hopefuls bussed in from Tulsa, Caruso immediately became a veteran presence whose guidance has been crucial as the Thunder pursue a championship. Following a tough Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, the stakes are incredibly high for Game 2.
However, Caruso admits his G League season was frustrating. He focused on his game while teammates received NBA call-ups ahead of him. He was also overlooked for a two-way contract despite endorsements from Daigneault and then-Blue GM Brandon Barnett. Caruso shared with his characteristic dry humor that Sam Presti, the Thunder GM, later confessed he “got that one wrong.”
After his contract expired in 2017, Caruso left Oklahoma City for Los Angeles. A summer league opportunity eventually led to a two-way contract, and within a few years, he played a vital defensive role for the Lakers` 2019-20 championship squad. When the Lakers chose not to match the Chicago Bulls` four-year, $37 million offer – another instance where his value was arguably underestimated – he joined Chicago in the summer of 2021, earning two All-Defensive Team selections.
Presti eventually rectified his previous misjudgment by trading for Caruso last summer. Caruso`s career had come full circle back to Oklahoma City, where he returned as a potentially crucial piece for the Thunder`s championship aspirations – the ideal veteran role player, known for defense and offensive facilitation, with proven experience enhancing star teammates.
His influence extends significantly beyond simple box score statistics. Daigneault expressed his enthusiasm for Caruso`s return: “It`s been awesome having him back around. I love coaching him. I loved coaching him back then. But what`s exciting is now it`s more about the future than it is about the past. As much history as we have, we have a lot of runway together moving forward here.”
The acquisition of Caruso, alongside center Isaiah Hartenstein, helped elevate the Thunder from a promising team to title favorites this season. With Oklahoma City`s youthful core featuring MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, Caruso perfectly fits as one of the league`s most disruptive defenders and an offensive connector experienced in complementing superstars.
“Immediately, I thought it was going to be a great marriage just from the standpoint of the stuff that I do and the stuff that at least it seemed like the team needed,” Caruso commented. “And I have a bit of ego and pride with just the idea of anywhere I go, I think I`m going to win.”
Furthermore, Caruso, who turned 31 in February, provides valuable intangible contributions to a team that is the second youngest ever to reach the NBA Finals in the shot clock era. “He`s a colossal competitor, and we want to have as many of those guys as we can in the building,” Presti stated after the trade. “Specifically, I think it helps elevate the whole group if you can have those types of brains, and we really wanted the heart and the head in the building.”
Caruso`s responsibilities on the court vary widely, sometimes even within a single quarter. In the playoffs, this has included guarding a range of opponents, from speedy point guards like Ja Morant to formidable big men like 6-foot-11, 284-pound Nikola Jokic.
“It`s a lot of fun because he`s a mad scientist genius that likes to tweak and maneuver and find little, minute details and disciplines that you can exploit,” Caruso said of working with Daigneault.
His statistical contributions, especially offensively, are rarely flashy. He holds career averages of 6.9 points and 2.8 assists, only reaching double figures in scoring once (10.1 points in 2023-24). Yet, his relentless energy and defensive disruption command attention on the court.
His defensive effort against Jokic, a three-time MVP, in Game 7 stands out as a prime example from the recent playoff run. This tactic, involving aggressively fronting Jokic with help defenders, was employed throughout the series. However, Daigneault knew it was physically unsustainable for Caruso, facing a nearly 100-pound weight disadvantage, over a full seven-game series. For a single decisive game, though? “Let`s go to this early and see how it goes,” Daigneault recalled. “And then it was like wildfire.”
According to GeniusIQ tracking, Caruso defended Jokic for 40 half-court possessions in that game, the most for any guard in Jokic`s extensive career (839 regular-season and playoff games). Caruso allowed just 0.78 points per play, and Jokic finished with as many turnovers (five) as made field goals (on nine attempts).
Beyond his visible defensive intensity, Daigneault advises observers to watch Caruso during breaks in play to truly appreciate his impact. He is constantly engaged, his eyes scanning the scoreboard, coaches, teammates, and officials. He communicates effectively without dominating conversations, using “filler lines” to maintain focus and encourage teammates to talk.
“He`s constantly filling the space with that kind of stuff, which in a way allows space for other people to still exist,” Daigneault explained. “Sometimes you get a veteran player and they feel like they have to be the veteran. They`re holding court and it can really suffocate the oxygen of everybody else. He has an unbelievable feel… He`s got a great feel for being able to get his points in, be very constant with his communication, but in a way that isn`t claustrophobic.” Daigneault added, “There`s never drifting. He`s always competitively present.”
Cason Wallace, the Thunder`s 21-year-old second-year guard, playfully pointed out that Caruso is “the first bald teammate I`ve ever had,” a comment Caruso humorously ranked high on his list of accomplishments.
As the oldest player on a Thunder roster with an average age of 24.5, Caruso is frequently reminded of his age, becoming a source of team jokes. “It`s always that,” Caruso said, adding humorously, “which is insane because I have many years to go in the NBA.” His commitment was solidified when he signed a four-year, $81 million contract extension in December, the earliest the team could offer it.
Caruso views the team`s teasing as a sign of affection and embraces it. A priority for him was establishing trust in the locker room, avoiding the persona of a lecturing veteran. Out of respect for his new teammates` existing achievements, he initially aimed to gradually increase his vocal presence, believing he needed to earn “sweat equity.” However, teammates and coaches noticed no real hesitation. “His version of cautious is still pretty verbal,” Daigneault observed.
Caruso didn`t have to force his leadership; his teammates were eager to absorb wisdom from the only player on the roster with an NBA championship ring. He`s taken particular interest in mentoring Wallace on defense. Wallace`s elite athleticism and on-ball guarding skills remind Caruso of his former Lakers teammate Avery Bradley.
Caruso has worked to teach Wallace the finer points of becoming a dominant defender, including understanding opponents` technical tricks and tendencies. Caruso recounted Wallace`s initial approach: “Not arrogantly, but he`s just like, `I`m just going to go guard the guy.`” He described Wallace`s mindset as binary: “It doesn`t matter if he likes to go left or right. I`m going to guard him, and if he puts the ball in front of me, I`m going to take it.” Caruso`s response? “Alright, yeah, that works. Let`s sprinkle in a little bit of the mental side of the game, too.”
Daigneault jokes that Wallace will fully absorb Caruso`s lessons around the time “Cason gets some hair on his chest.” Regardless of immediate implementation, Wallace values the input now. “Whatever he sees, he says,” Wallace stated. “He`s going to speak his mind. You can also tell him stuff as well. We`re all good at listening to each other. That started on day one.”
Soon after joining, Caruso naturally took a leading role in the informal player meetings held regularly at the team`s facility. “We didn`t really have this hump he needed to get over,” Jalen Williams noted. “We were ready to listen to him. We understand why Sam brought him in.”
“He`s somebody that we trust,” Williams continued. “We call him `old head` and stuff, but his experience from being in the G to now, we really hold that dear. Our team is really receptive to him and what he has to say. He always says the right thing, which makes us even more inclined to listen to him. Obviously, he does the right stuff on the court, too.”
Caruso`s dedication is also evident in his patient acceptance of his role, averaging only 19.2 minutes per game, his lowest since his first season on a standard NBA contract in 2019-20. He understood the importance of developmental minutes for younger players like Wallace and Ajay Mitchell, especially during the regular season when the Thunder were securing a franchise-record 68 wins. In those situations, Caruso effectively served as an extension of the coaching staff from the bench.
“You never question his intentions as a competitor or as a team guy — ever,” said Daigneault, who describes Caruso as a “warm-weather player,” signifying his heightened value in the playoffs. Now, with the Thunder in the Finals for the first time since 2012, Caruso`s impact is starkly highlighted by one statistic: Oklahoma City has outscored opponents by 16 points per 100 possessions with him on the court in the postseason, a net rating second only to Wallace among players with at least 225 minutes.
Facing a 0-1 deficit after the Pacers` Game 1 comeback, the Thunder will heavily rely on their veteran defensive anchor to help guide the young team to play a consistent 48-minute game. Daigneault summarized Caruso`s value: “There`s never a selfish or a noncompetitive moment that he has, and so it just gives him this very strong platform… He had that even when he was younger than everybody on his team. Now he`s older than everybody on his team.”
