After a series of successful operations, the Oklahoma City Thunder have achieved a strong roster upgrade before the start of the 2024-25 season. The Thunder acquired Alex Caruso in a trade and sent Giddey to the Bulls.
The most shocking thing about this deal was that the Thunder actually got Caruso without any other compensation, including future draft picks. While Giddey's potential is exciting, for the Thunder, the addition of Caruso will undoubtedly make them even stronger.
Caruso's arrival will make the Thunder's already tough defense even more formidable, and he will add even more damage to the team's defense.
Oklahoma City's new ace in defense
Caruso has been one of the top defensive players in the league for years. He's always been his team's outside knife against opponents, often making it difficult for opponents to find gaps in scoring.
Although Caruso is only 1.96m tall, his constant pressing and agility make him invaluable on the field. Even against opponents with a dominant height advantage, Caruso is able to use his excellent positional sense to constantly compress the space of his opponents, and always maintain an active hand to make effective interference and tackles.
Last season, the Thunder won the top seed spot in the West with a stellar performance, and it looks like they will continue to dominate the West for many more years. And Caruso's arrival will make the Thunder's defense even more destructive, which was evident when Oklahoma City traded for him.
While Alexander and Chet Holmgren have been widely praised for their offensive talent, the Thunder's defense also played a major role in the team's success last season. This will be further strengthened by the addition of Caruso, who will join the likes of Lugenz Dort and Jalen Williams to erect an impregnable wall for Oklahoma City.
Caruso is an excellent help defender and a weak-side defender with excellent anticipation and the ability to cut off passing lanes with a keen eye to erase many of the opposition's attacking opportunities.
Whether or not he is able to directly interfere with a pass or a shot, Caruso's presence on the court is itself a containment of the opponent's offense.
The Thunder already led the league in steals per game last season, and with the addition of Caruso, who averages 1.7 steals per game, next season, the Thunder's defense will be even more terrifying. Last season, the Thunder had 16.2 interference shots per game, while Caruso averaged 3.7 per game, the highest number in the league.
Caruso was equally good when it came to blocks. With excellent positional sense, judgment, and the occasional vertical bounce, he is always able to control the timing of his blocks effectively. Over the past two seasons, Caruso has reached a block rate of 3.5% and 2.8%, respectively, averaging 1.0 and 0.7 blocks per game.
Caruso is adept at timing his rotations, whether from the strong or weak side, and he can effectively interfere with or block shots from inside or mid-range.
In addition to rotating blocks, Caruso has shown that he can block shots from big man players who try to take advantage of their body or reach. On many occasions, he was able to block from an excellent angle, build a defensive wall, and use his quick hands to knock the ball out of opponents' shots.
Caruso's role and contributions to the Thunder
While the Thunder will need some time to nail on Caruso's role, he's not a player who needs a lot of ball. With a great off-the-ball feel and clever passing, Caruso always finds a way to help his team in attack. His finishing ability in transition offense is excellent, and his spatial awareness allows him to work well with his stars.
Obviously, the Thunder got a good defender, and the other 29 NBA teams were going to have a headache.
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