Unsung Thunder threat Alex Caruso believes 'always' has a chance to win

2025 NBA Finals - Game Three
2025 NBA Finals - Game Three | Maddie Meyer/GettyImages

This summer, a slew of teams have established themselves as legitimate threats to the OKC Thunder as they look to become the first back-to-back NBA Champions in nearly a decade.

From the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant out to the reigning second-seeded Rockets to the bevy of roster-bolstering moves made by the already menacing Nuggets, the competition for the conference crown, let alone the Larry O'Brien Trophy, has certainly gotten stronger.

However, lost in the shadows of these busy ball clubs is a team that veteran guard Alex Caruso recently suggested deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as all the other title challengers.

Thunder guard says Warriors 'always have a chance to win'

During the 2025 American Century Championship, Caruso was asked by Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area to discuss where he sees the Warriors stacking up against, not just the Thunder, but the entire Western Conference.

Despite acknowledging the fact that Oklahoma City has youth and, now, a recently established championship pedigree on their side, the 31-year-old made sure to point out that Golden State's experience getting to the mountain top, particularly with Stephen Curry running the show, is what should frighten any team.

"For the Warriors it just comes down to if they can get Steph healthy. That's the big deciding factor. If he's healthy, you always have a chance to win a playoff series," Caruso said.

During his praise-filled analysis of the Dubs, Caruso also made sure not to stop at Curry when discussing the club's talent pool, as he would go on to say, "him and Draymond just have so much experience, and then obviously Jimmy is Jimmy."

Last year, the Warriors were one of just two teams to have finished with a winning record against the Thunder, wrapping up their season series 2-1. Two key points to note concerning this exclusive factoid are that none of these games were played with Butler on the team (acquired from Miami in February), and their lone loss came with Curry sidelined.

Now, with a full offseason of rest and rehabilitation, guys like Steph and Jimmy are only bound to come into the 2025-26 campaign at 100 percent, which, should they be able to sustain this level of health throughout and into the postseason (something they didn't have last year), could prove to be quite a problem for any opponent they may face.

Let's not forget that, while the Thunder may be looking to repeat, the Warriors were the last ones in the league to have done so.

With four championships won in a span of eight years, Golden State knows what it takes to get to the promised land, and, with health on their side, Caruso believes they still deserve to be included in any conversation of true title contenders.