Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Alex Caruso is the definition of the type of role player you need to win a championship.
The 31-year-old veteran guard is now a two-time NBA champion after winning his first with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The championship victory marks his second title after claiming one with the Los Angeles Lakers during the COVID bubble season in 2020. The two championships are vastly different, considering Caruso was the “old guy” on a Thunder squad that was the youngest team to reach the NBA Finals since 1977. By contrast, the Lakers team that won in 2020 was filled with veterans and proven players such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard.
While Caruso played a key role on the Lakers’ title squad in 2020, his impact with the young Thunder team was even bigger. He scored 20 points apiece in Games 3 and 5 of the Finals—both wins—and averaged 10.1 points per game in the series, a boost from the 7.1 he averaged during the regular season.
“I was learning a lot more the first time around,” Caruso said on behalf of Raising Cane’s in a one-on-one interview with RG.
“I was trying to figure it out during my first playoffs. Luckily, I had a surrounding cast of Hall of Fame players and coaches, so that made it a little easier for me to navigate. This time around, trying to be that voice of reason, that motivation, the navigating force for us going through the playoffs. Credit to these young guys, man, they took it in stride. They did phenomenal.”
Caruso spoke about the emotional difference between this title—won in his first season with Oklahoma City—and the one in 2020, when he was the second-youngest role player on the team and the games were played in a fanless bubble.
“It was a crazy experience,” Caruso said. “Obviously being the second time, I knew what it felt like to win and have that final buzzer go off and be the champion. I think the stretch run we had in front of the fans this time, it curated a couple more emotions. Playing in front of 100 people in the bubble, it was still just as awesome being the champion, but being able to do it in front of the home fans was special.”
Mentor to the Next Generation
Now the vocal leader of the Thunder, Caruso is a more complete player than he was five years ago, when he primarily served as a defensive spark plug.
He specifically mentioned Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams as two players who leaned on his experience.
“Through the course of the playoffs, probably Dub (Williams) and Chet, just because there’s ups and downs in the playoffs,” said Caruso. “They had games where they played phenomenally and everyone was singing their praises, and they had games where they didn’t play their best. They were frustrated, and they had to get over it and get ready for the next one. They did a great job.”
Thunder’s Window Just Opening
While this marks the franchise’s first championship since its relocation to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008—the team was known as the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008—the Thunder may just be getting started. They were the second-youngest team in the NBA this season (24.8 years old). The core is built around 26-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 24-year-old Jalen Williams and 23-year-old Chet Holmgren.
Caruso is one of just two players on the roster over 30, along with 30-year-old Kenrich Williams.
“Definitely,” Caruso said of being excited about the Thunder’s future. “The future in front of us is kind of at our feet. Whatever we want to accomplish is kind of up to us, and that’s a great place to be in. Coming in here, winning in year one is probably fast-tracking what everybody thought we were capable of. But that’s kind of the expectation going forward, I bet. It’ll be a different challenge moving forward—with that expectation of being the champions and trying to win again versus being underrated and winning it this year.”
DJ Siddiqi
