Since the OKC Thunder executed the splashy trade that sent Josh Giddey out to the Chicago Bulls, much of the immediate reactions to the transaction revolved around the outbound talent as opposed to the inbound one that will be a part of Mark Daigneault's core in 2024-25.
Alex Caruso, the lone asset acquired by GM Sam Presti in the exchange, is a seven-year veteran who has proven himself to be one of the game's best 3-and-D role players. This past season, his efforts drew in serious attention, particularly at and around the February 8 deadline where opposing clubs tried and, ultimately, failed to swipe his services away from the Bulls.
Now, following last week's trade, he finds himself gearing up for his second stint with the organization (played for the OKC Blue after going undrafted back in 2016-17) where, during his introductory media availability, he noted that he believes his skill set, experience, and mentality will mesh well with the reigning top seed in the Western Conference.
Alex Caruso talks fit with Thunder during introductory media availability
"I think the things that I do well compliment the team. I'm a team-first guy. I just want to win. That's the biggest thing. I'm super competitive. I'll sacrifice for the teammates. Obviously, I think I had a good year individually last year -- shot the ball well, had another good defensive year, took care of the ball. I think all of those things effect winning and positively affect teammates so I think that's something that everybody will benefit from."Alex Caruso
On top of his on-court abilities, Caruso also noted that his veteran presence and championship experience (won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020) could be of great service to this hungry yet youthful Thunder squad.
"Learning from some of the older guys -- LeBron, [Rajon] Rondo, Danny Green, just to name a few that I've played with -- [and] seeing them come in every day and having the habits, having the rituals, being super competitive, a lot of the things I think the Thunder stand for [and] things that I stand for, hopefully that's the perfect marriage that everyone says it will be and hopefully we can find success together."Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso snags his 100th steal of the season pic.twitter.com/QiePrITc6I
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 26, 2024
Caruso's description of his 2023-24 campaign being "a good year" could be argued as being somewhat of an understatement, as the veteran put forth the best season of his already impressive career.
Through 71 games played, the 30-year-old would post stellar stat-sheet stuffing averages of 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 46.8 percent shooting from the floor and 40.8 percent shooting from deep on 4.7 attempts per game.
With his efforts, he secured his second consecutive All-Defensive nod, finished within the top-10 in the Defensive Player of the Year race, and ranked within the top-35 in the entire association in three-point percentage.
Adding his services to this Thunder team could prove to be of serious benefit, especially considering they were trounced from their semifinal matchup against the Mavericks after finishing dead-last among qualifying second-round participants in three-point shooting (33.5) while allowing Dallas to convert at the second-highest clip from deep along the way (39.7).
Caruso's expertise could have been of serious use for Oklahoma City during this past campaign's postseason, and, in all likelihood, they'll prove to be an absolute blessing during what is hoped to be a next-step season in 2024-25
The veteran believes his addition to this Thunder core could end up being a "prefect marriage," and so, too, should the franchise's faithful followers.