2024-25 Thunder player grades: Alex Caruso

The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner.

To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Seventh up is Alex Caruso, who helped the Thunder win a championship as a playoff riser:

2024-25 statistics:

• 7.1 points
• 2.5 assists
• 2.9 rebounds
• 1.6 steals
• 44.6% shooting
• 35.3% 3-point shooting
• 82.4% free-throw shooting

Advanced stats:

• True-shooting percentage: 56.8%
• Usage rate: 15.2%
• Win shares: 3.9
• VORP: 1.6
• Steal percentage: 4.0%

Significant Percentile Finishes:

• Transition scorer: 63.9 percentile

Contract:

• 2025-26: $18.1 million
• 2026-27: $19.6 million
• 2027-28: $21 million
• 2028-29: $22.5 million

Thoughts:

With Nikola Jokic on all fours, Caruso dribbled down the court after another turnover. That was the lasting image of the 31-year-old's successful first year on the Thunder. Through the regular-season headaches and bubble wrap, he showed why he was worth the hassle in the playoffs.

The Thunder already had tasted regular-season success. They were ready for some playoff success as their next dish. That was the thought process behind their trade to acquire Caruso last offseason. While his regular-season numbers won't pop off like Josh Giddey's, what he brings to the table in the playoffs warrants excitement.

The regular season was all about monitoring Caruso. He averaged his lowest minutes and starts since his third year in the NBA. He only played in 54 games. He became a bench player after two straight All-Defense Team seasons. If he felt hurt, the Thunder would be extra cautious. There was a clear intent to preserve the 31-year-old inside a Bacta tank until the playoffs rolled around. Safe to say the plan worked out.

Caruso was worth it and then some. He was arguably the Thunder's fourth-most important player in their championship run. Even though he was a bench player, you can bet he closed out clutch situations. When he checked in, the Thunder's chaotic nature was amped up to the max.

Caruso would throw his body at the opposing players. He'd dive for loose balls. He'd direct traffic like an NFL linebacker with the green dot on their helmet. The savvy veteran would perfectly forecast what the opponent would do before it happened. He'd rack up steals and help the Thunder bury their opponent on the scoreboard in the playoffs like they did in the regular season.

Despite a size disadvantage, Caruso had no problem matching up against bigs in the playoffs. He had a legacy-defining performance in a Round 2 Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder threw the curveball of having him defend three-time MVP winner Jokic. The mad scientist's bet paid off.

Some players get the playoff-riser moniker. Caruso fits that definition like a textbook. He had zero 20-plus point games in the regular season. In the playoffs, he did that three times. Everything you hope he'd do in the playoffs, he accomplished.

Moving Forward:

As is the case for most returning players on an NBA champion, just do the same. While Thunder fans were annoyed at times with Caruso's pedestrian regular season, the playoff run showed that's the way to go with him. At 31 years old, he can't play his high-intensity level of basketball for an entire regular season.

Expect another similar year for Caruso. The Thunder added him for the playoffs. He'll likely remain in a bench role despite being overly qualified for it. He'll hover around 20 minutes and most of his shot attempts will come from catch-and-shoot outside looks.

Maybe Caruso can shoot better in the regular season. That's really his only area of improvement for his second year. His 3-point shooting percentage was the lowest it's been in four seasons. But that became irrelevant when he shot 41% from 3 on four attempts in the playoffs.

Sneakily enough, Caruso showed in the playoffs that he can put the ball down and drive to the basket. He didn't get a real chance to do that in the regular season. But when the Thunder needed a bucket, he showed off his ability to drive to the basket and finish through traffic.

We already know what Caruso brings on defense. He's one of the NBA's best defenders. Has been for most of the 2010s and 2020s. He can pretty quickly rack up steals from instinct and smarts alone. He's helped two defense-first teams win a championship due to his style. While his award days are likely over, that doesn't make him any less of a defensive player.

One of the bigger stories coming out of last season was how Caruso showed off his ring to his teammates early in the season. He wanted to give them a tangible goal for the work they put in. The 31-year-old also brought a type of moxie that the Thunder locker room previously lacked due to inexperience. Now, his leadership helped everybody else in the locker room attain their ring.

Final Grade: A-plus

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2024-25 Thunder player grades: Alex Caruso