When you think of the OKC Thunder’s rise this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren probably come to mind first.
But quietly, and lately, not-so-quietly, it’s been Alex Caruso doing a little bit of everything. Defense, playmaking, timely buckets, floor spacing, vocal leadership, and now… more minutes.
Caruso logged just two games over 30 minutes in his first 72 appearances this season. Since Game 3 of the Finals? He’s cracked that mark twice in back-to-back games.
“There are no coincidences,” he said after OKC’s Game 2 win. “Some of that is I play a pretty erratic style… I don’t know how to play at 75 percent.”
It’s that all-gas, no-brakes mindset that’s turned Caruso into a postseason X-factor for a Thunder team teetering on the edge of a championship breakthrough.
14 points, 4 boards, 2 dimes, 3.5 steals per game across Games 3 and 4. But the numbers don’t do justice to the feel, the constant talk, the hands in every passing lane, the physicality that you can’t coach. Shai nailed it after Game 4.
“He has instincts that are special. I don’t think you can teach things like that.”
Caruso’s always had that motor, but now he’s adding offensive gravity too. More touches than anyone on OKC not named Shai or Jalen Williams in Game 4. More passes thrown than either of them. He’s also hitting at a 43.2 percent clip this postseason.
“I’m a complete basketball player,” Caruso said Sunday. “There’s a lot of things that I do really, really good.”
That confidence didn’t come out of nowhere. Years of missed playoff runs meant years of offseason work. And it’s paying off now, on the biggest stage.
If Daigneault decides to up his minutes again, that difference could be the reason OKC hangs its first banner.
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