Despite being the youngest team to clinch back-to-back top-seeds in a conference standing and having a 14-win edge over the second-seeded Rockets, the OKC Thunder are seemingly still struggling to convince people that they're ready to run the postseason gamut.
From fears of secondary offensive production to widespread injury woes, throughout the campaign many naysayers have made their cases for why they believe Oklahoma City will fall short of an NBA title in 2025.
Recently, 13-year veteran Marcus Morris Sr. has proven himself to be the most outspoken of all the haters this year.
On a recent episode of First Take, the forward went as far as to say that he has the Lakers "coming out the West" this postseason, and that, after them, he has the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors ahead of OKC as far as potential conference champs are concerned.
His reasoning: "Experience."
Marcus Morris Sr. disrespects Thunder's Alex Caruso without knowing it
Begging the question, "What has OKC done outside of the regular season?", Morris made it abundantly clear that he believes this young Thunder squad, spearheaded by guys with just one or two years of playoff experience under their belt in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, can't be taken seriously just yet.
He would continue on with his tirade by asking analyst Stephen A. Smith, "Who's been to that mountain-top? Who's been through that adversity on OKC?"
Though the club's core trio may have the exact same amount of championship experience as Morris does (i.e., none), despite what the veteran may be hinting at, the Thunder do, in fact, have a proven winner within their main rotation in the likes of Alex Caruso.
The guard played a key role in the Lakers' NBA Championship run back in 2020, serving as a 20-plus minutes per game player and providing elite 3&D contributions along the way.
Outside of having the hardware that comes with winning the NBA Finals, addressing Morris's question on who on this team has "been through that adversity," there's an argument to be made that Caruso's title run was one of the more challenging in league history.
Not only were players isolated from their families and loved ones for roughly three months while playing in the Lake Buena Vista bubble, but the entire world was hampered by and attempting to navigate through an unprecedented global pandemic with the widespread Covid-19 virus.
Some, such as superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (an established champion himself), have even gone on record calling the 2020 NBA Finals the "toughest championship you could ever win" due to the mental toll alone.
Having this type of experience and wisdom within their arsenal is invaluable to such a young club like the Thunder, and many of his teammates, including Kenrich Williams, have described his leadership as "super helpful" while admitting that seeing his championship ring has left them "mesmerized."
So, even though Oklahoma City's top stars and headline names may not have a proven track record of embarking on deep playoff runs, to say they don't have a key contributor who has "been to that mountain-top" and has endured the "adversity" that it takes to win it all is a complete farce.
It's time to put some respect on Alex Caruso's name!