The OKC Thunder wound up losing Game 1 to Denver in quite a shocking manner on Monday night, as they witnessed the visiting Nuggets claw their way back from a 14-point second-half deficit and, ultimately, pull out a 121-119 win in the closing seconds of regulation.
Now, though Oklahoma City undoubtedly fell victim to self-inflicted wounds during their series opener, and, at the moment, it may be hard to see any positive takeaways, if there's one optimistic post-game storyline to be had, it's this: The Thunder clearly fleeced the Chicago Bulls in their one-for-one trade for Alex Caruso.
For those who don't remember, last June, the Bulls and OKC took part in a straight swap transaction that sent Josh Giddey to the Windy City and Caruso to the Sooner State.
Now, though Chicago obviously benefited from the deal in their own way, as Giddey is a former lottery-selected point guard who's nearly 10 years AC's younger and just posted a career-best campaign, back during the time of the trade, many were convinced the Thunder easily came away as winners.
Now, 11 months removed, such a belief still seems to hold strong, and Monday's Game 1 only further strengthened such a sentiment.
Alex Caruso was a revelation for Thunder in Game 1 loss to Nuggets
Though Caruso already had proven himself to be a difference-maker throughout his debut campaign with the Thunder and during their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Game 1 against the Nuggets may have been his finest showing yet while donning the blue, orange, and yellow threads.
In his 26 minutes of action, the veteran was found having an impact all over the floor, stuffing the stat sheet with 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocks on a highly efficient 58.3 percent shooting from the field and 55.6 percent shooting from deep.
From diving on the floor for loose balls and intercepting passes to cashing in on a game-high five three-pointers, the guard's presence was felt everywhere on the floor.
His efforts were so mesmerizing that not only were they recognized by the advanced metrics (+13 plus-minus rating), but among well-respected spectators as well, with The Athletic's Sam Amick joking that, considering how the game flowed, one could easily be fooled that the "MVP face-off" narrative coming in was between Nikola Jokic and Caruso, not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 31-year-old may not possess the long-term value or individual upside that a talent like Josh Giddey does, but, with their decision to make the trade in the first place, this win-now Thunder squad was hoping to get a battle-tested dog on the hardwood who can contribute effectively on both ends and play their role to perfection, especially under the bright lights of the playoffs.
Through six months of regular season and two weeks of postseason play, Alex Caruso has proven to be all these things and more for Oklahoma City. Monday's Game 1 only served as a reminder of just how impactful a player he can be.
Getting someone of his caliber for a player who was a poor fit within this core's rotation and while coughing up zero draft picks in many way could be classified as highway robbery.