Keeping Alex Caruso in the Bacta tank for the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s cautious approach with the 31-year-old has paid off in the NBA playoffs. He’s flipped a switch, to say the least. Two months into the postseason, the role player’s importance has only increased.
Caruso has had two 20-point games in the 2025 NBA Finals. He had zero in the regular season. The Thunder were able to sneak away with a 111-104 Game 4 win over the Indiana Pacers because of his contributions. Returning to OKC for Game 5, the series is tied at 2-2.
This is the time of the year that Caruso lives for. Everybody on NBA social media has slowly realized why the Thunder traded Josh Giddey for somebody whose box score stats might not pop off in the same way. If you want a 16-game player, Caruso is the textbook definition.
“These are the games you are judged on. You can win 68 games like we did, and you lose in the first round and everybody is going to be like, ‘Oh, they won 68 they but lost in the first round,'” Caruso said. “Vice versa, you can win 48 games, sneak into the playoffs and if you win a couple series, you say, well, ‘They had a pretty good run.'”
That’s a realistic way of viewing the NBA discourse landscape. Fair or not, how a team looks in the playoffs determines their overall season grade. If the Thunder were bounced in Round 2 again, we’d be a few weeks into folks wondering if they should blow up their core for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It’s a results-oriented business. The Thunder have delivered so far. Their regular-season dominance has translated over to the playoffs. Now, they’re two wins away from basketball immortality. The Pacers have proven to be a worthy foe as the series has gone beyond what most expected.
If the Thunder win the championship, Caruso will play a big part in it. The starting lineup might’ve already changed two in four games, but there’s zero doubt on who closes the final moments out with the other four traditional starters.
“This is the time of the year that I live for,” Caruso said. “This is the time of the year where games matter, stakes are high, wins and losses are more important. So being prepared for this is important.”
