Even when they're at full strength, one could argue that Alex Caruso is the most electrifying defensive talent the OKC Thunder have on their roster.
Now, with the recent injuries to guys like Chet Holmgren (knee), Cason Wallace (shoulder), and Jalen Williams (ankle), his case for such a branding has grown even stronger.
Newcomer Micah Peavy clearly sees this as the case, as he recently revealed he has gravitated toward the veteran Caruso to learn "the way he sees the game on the defensive end."
Of course, the sophomore wouldn't just stop at his skills on the less glamorous side of the ball when discussing what he wishes to learn from Caruso, as he told reporters during Wednesday's shootaround, "I look at guys who impact games like I want to impact games," and, in his eyes, Caruso is someone who fits that bill.
Peavy is a young, raw wing who comes to OKC with the reputation of being a highly versatile defensive talent. In his rookie season with the Pelicans, he ranked fourth on the team in defensive rating, third in steals percentage, and third in forced turnovers (minimum 50 games played) while, as he has put it, being "tasked to guard the best players on the other team."
Now, only in the early stages of his second year in the association, there's still plenty of room and time for growth and to hone his on-court craft.
For someone aspiring to be an efficient 3&D role player, who better to hitch your wagon to than the two-time All-Defensive selection and NBA Champion, Alex Caruso?
Micah Peavy to have ample opportunities to play after Thunder signing
On Tuesday, the Thunder signed former first-round-selected wing Dalen Terry to a two-year standard contract, which, in turn, filled out the club's 15 and final roster vacancy.
Though this may be seen as a bit of a downer when it comes to his pursuit of a standard deal for himself, the addition of Terry could actually prove to be a major boon for the likes of Peavy and, frankly, his fellow two-way teammates.
By officially filling out their roster, the Thunder now have the ability to play all their two-way players up to the league's 50-game limit, something they were unable to do when they had just 14 standard contracts on their payroll.
With this, expect Peavy, along with Brooks Barnhizer and Josh Dix, to now come across substantial opportunities with the varsity team throughout this already injury-raveged season for OKC.
Without question, these runs with the Thunder should prove to be far more beneficial to their growth than if they were to simply spend the majority of their time logging minutes down in the G League.
Add us as a preferred source on Google