With just 10 games left in the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder's attention is most certainly turned towards the playoffs.
Although there is still an outside chance the San Antonio Spurs swoop in and steal the one-seed, the Thunder's 12-game win streak has made that task nearly impossible. They have three games in hand, and they must simply execute from here on out to enter the playoffs yet again as the hands-down favorite.
It's pertinent, therefore, to pay attention to which players are finding their playoff form.
Alex Caruso, who was hugely impactful in Oklahoma City's last playoff run as a disruptive defensive presence and an additional scorer, is doing exactly that. He's managed injuries all season in anticipation of their playoff run. It's now time for him to activate the intensity that makes him so impactful in the most important moments.
Thunder fans can rest assured that Caruso will show up when he's most needed.
Alex Caruso is set to be majorly impactful yet again in the Thunder's playoff run
Oklahoma City's acquisition of Caruso in the 2024 offseason, in a straight-up swap for Josh Giddey, was widely regarded as one of the best moves any team made last season. Although Caruso profiles as a vastly different player than Giddey, his skill-set was exactly what the Thunder needed to add to the rotation.
Throughout this season, however, Caruso's impact and playing time have been limited by injuries. He's been held out this season for a plethora of reasons, most of which have been simple injury management. He's played in just 49 games, averaging 18.4 minutes on the court across those outings.
But when the Thunder need him most, Caruso is bound to play his role.
The counting stats don't necessarily reflect this fact. Over his last six games, he's averaging 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals. But if you take a smaller sample size, limiting it to just his 20+ minute performances against the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic, the stats start to give you an idea of how impactful he can be when his role increases.
In those three outings, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.3 steals. He can be counted upon to perform whatever role the Thunder need him to, and he's done so excellently over the past month.
Caruso's impact doesn't always show up on the box score. But when he plays extensive minutes off the bench, his intensity and swarming defensive ability is undeniably vital to Oklahoma City's playoff identity.
He might be limited again over this last set of games, but watch for those restrictions to be lifted once the playoffs begin.