There was a moment during an episode of The Young Man and The Three podcast when Oklahoma City Thunder guards Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace were asked how much film study goes into their preparation. Wallace's response left Alex speechless when the third-year guard revealed that he often relies on his own instincts rather than studying an opposing player's film. Caruso has taken Wallace under his defender's wing this season.
Wallace is off to a stellar start to this season, averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a league-best 2.5 steals per game. Caruso, speaking on Wallace's habit of watching game film, believes his teammate is reaping the benefits while still growing in his third season with the Thunder.
“The reps of going through the league, you start to pick up different tendencies. You start to see stuff for the second, third, fifth time, in-person, on film — it just helps your comfortability with it,” Caruso said. “You're not thinking as much on the court. You kind of anticipate and know what to expect — offensively/defensively, the actions and sets you're going to get. What stuff are you going to have to guard?
“For him, I think people forget because he's played so many minutes from such a young age; this is his third year. He can still get a lot better, too — which is encouraging, and that's one of the ways you can kind of steal increments of ability to gain when you're not on the court, when you're not playing games.”
Caruso believes this season should expedite Wallace's growth as he continues to learn opponents' frequent tendencies.
“Hopefully, he continues that. That's something that I've harped on and talked to him about. Once you pick up guys' tendencies, you can really start to manipulate the game with your mind. Then, from there, your physical abilities step in the way, where he's so physically gifted that he's been able to just step in and guard people at a high level. It's kind of scary when you think about it that he can get better in that aspect.”
How Alex Caruso turned Cason Wallace into a defensive monster
While Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is off to an MVP start, the defending champions have a 10-1 record for the best in the NBA. The Thunder also leads the league in defensive efficiency, which points to guys like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dort as key parts of the Thunder's defensive identity.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault discussed how Caruso's impact from last year has carried over into this season, and how Wallace has sharpened his sword in the early weeks of the regular season.
“As time goes on, these guys gain more experience when they play against guys like Jordan Poole — they learn the league, they learn the pictures, their instincts start to grow over time, which I think comes from experience,” Daigneault said. “He’s obviously got a gift on top of that. You'd have to ask him about what he's doing intentionally.
“But I do think he's gotten a little more intentional about his study, and about learning the nuances of the game. I think Dort and Caruso have probably helped him with that to a degree. Those guys are pretty tight,” Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder will host a back-to-back, starting on Tuesday against the Warriors and ending on Wednesday against the Lakers.
