The Oklahoma City Thunder have built a roster that fanbases around the NBA can only envy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP frontrunner, Jalen Williams has silenced his postseason critics, and Chet Holmgren is a unicorn in every basketball sense.
As the Thunder dream of reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016, however, it's Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort who will decide their fate.
Oklahoma City's star trio will need to be at their best to overcome the challenge set ahead of them in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. It's the reality that teams from every market inevitably face: Without dependable play from your stars, you're destined to fall short of your potential.
If the 2025 NBA Playoffs have proven anything, however, it's that depth is essential to sustained success—and the Thunder have it in abundance.
Players such as Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins all had their moment in the spotlight during Oklahoma City's first-round sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a compelling reminder of how many players the Thunder can depend on across a seven-game series.
The difference between competing and contending, however, will be Caruso and Dort continuing what they started against Memphis: Absolute defensive dominance.
Luguentz Dort had the Grizzlies on lockdown in the first round
It's admittedly fair to question if Caruso, who played 20.8 minutes per game in the first round, can be classified as a player who dominated. It's equally as reasonable to pose that question about two players who combined to average 13.8 points per game, with Dort shooting 30.8 percent from the field.
Memphis will be the first to attest to the kind of misery Caruso and Dort were responsible for, however, specifically on the defensive end.
Dort took on tough matchups throughout the series, but his two primary defensive assignments were Desmond Bane and Ja Morant. Bane and Morant are the Grizzlies' top two perimeter scorers, as well as proven commodities who have stepped up in the postseason on multiple occasions.
Dort was unfazed by their history. He held Morant to 43.8 percent shooting from the field and a 30.0 percent mark from beyond the arc, and limited Bane to marks of 14.3 and 0.0 percent.
Overall, Memphis shot just 5-of-19—equating to 26.3 percent—on three-point field goals that Dort defended. Even when they escaped his range of motion, Caruso stepped in to make plays both on and off the ball, starting with holding Bane to an identical field goal percentage of 14.3.
Caruso also ranked No. 1 among all qualified NBA players in deflections per game during the first round—an insane fact considering his aforementioned 20.8 minutes per game.
Alex Caruso gives Thunder unique 1-2 defensive punch
With Caruso and Dort anchoring the defensive perimeter, the Thunder have an on-paper advantage over almost every team in the NBA. Perhaps Jrue Holiday and Derrick White can qualify as an exception, but no other team can throw two dedicated defenders at scorers quite like Oklahoma City is able to.
That compelling truth will prove essential when the Thunder look to advance past the second round and into the Conference Finals.
To get there, Oklahoma City will have to get past either the Denver Nuggets or the LA Clippers. Both are balanced offensive teams with the ability to create in isolation through their top-tier scoring threats, as well as work off of elite playmakers.
If the Thunder are going to survive and advance, then Caruso and Dort must continue to make life miserable for the opposition.
Against Denver, that would mean finding a way to contain Jamal Murray—an NBA champion known for raising his game in the postseason. Matched up with Los Angeles, Caruso and Dort would be given the unenviable task of containing James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. In either scenario, the threat of a 40-point clinic will always be looming.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams will need to play like the stars they are, but if Caruso and Dort fail to contain their matchups, it will be a long series for the Thunder.