Subscribe
Follow Us
INDIANAPOLIS — Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Alex Caruso is the elder statesman on the youngest team in the NBA, whose championship pedigree resonates in a locker room full of teammates making their NBA Finals debut. Trailing the Indiana Pacers 2-1, coach Mark Daigneault says his team remains even-keeled. A sign of maturity, despite the average age of the Thunder’s roster being 25.6 years old, Caruso's age when he won with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Thunder are the second-youngest team to reach the NBA Finals since the NBA-ABA merger, trailing the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. Caruso, who won a championship with the 2019-20 Lakers, discussed the vast differences between then and returning to the NBA Finals in his first season with the Thunder.
“The real difference is just that I was in my third year in the NBA, and two of those were on a two-way. So, I was still learning a lot at the time,” Caruso said. “That was my first playoff run. That was the first time I’d been to the playoffs when we won a championship. So, I think going through a couple of seasons in between that, losing in the playoffs, getting to the playoffs, and now, here, being on this stretch run again, and getting here, having a chance to win it.”
With the Lakers, Caruso followed the lead of veterans such as LeBron James, Avery Bradley, and Rajon Rondo. Now, Caruso has taken on a similar role with the Thunder.
“I relied a lot on the veteran team that we had the year we won the championship. We had multiple guys 10-15 years in the league; that’s an astounding number,” Caruso added. “Being on the other side of that now, being the guy who has had the most experience and trying to give the guys the right mindset, and the right course correction is probably the biggest difference.”
Alex Caruso proving to be Thunder’s missing piece on title quest
Article Continues Below
Thunder veteran Alex Caruso impacts winning in the postseason. His two-way game has helped the Thunder close out wins, which contributed to a 12-4 record before reaching the NBA Finals. Caruso finished with 20 points, including 4-of-8 from deep in a 123-107 win in Game 2.
Trailing the Pacers 2-1, Caruso also serves as the voice of reasoning with the Thunder’s back against the wall.
“It’s the Finals. It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to earn everything,” Caruso said. “We’ve been a great team all year because we’ve been confident, played aggressive. [I’m] just backing my guys and telling them, don’t second-guess yourself, just go out there and play your game.”
The Thunder will look to even the series against the Pacers in Game 4 on Friday.
