Why Thunder Guard Alex Caruso’s Impact Will Be Felt Early

Alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, 30-year-old Alex Caruso is set to make his debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the upcoming season. A needle-moving piece, Caruso is among the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and should play a significant role in Oklahoma City.

Although he’s a low-usage player relative to his impact on the game, there will still be a period of time in which Caruso will need to be integrated. That early-season integration will be of extreme importance for the Thunder to get off to a strong start. This roster will only get better as the season goes on, but establishing success in the first several weeks is key.

The oldest player on the roster and the only one with NBA championship experience, Caruso brings tremendous experience to this young team. That goes beyond traditional on-court experience, as it also includes his various opportunities to integrate himself with new teams.

Following a stint in the G League, Caruso is now on his third different NBA team. With each change leading up to this point, he’s had to learn to fit into new situations and cultures.

At media day earlier this week, Caruso was asked about the challenges of integrating with a new team and how he’s managed that in the past.

“I think it's just getting over the hump of being new, learning the terminology, learning how they function. I think I'll do a fine job,” Caruso said. “A lot of my career has been about assimilating into new teams and new cultures, playing with different players, whether it was G League, Elite Camp, or free agent workout, to play in Summer League a couple of times.”

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At every level, Caruso has been required to quickly get to know new teammates and build chemistry on the court. His natural personality off the court assists in that happening as well.

“I've gotten pretty good at getting to know people on the short timeline and making it work. That's something that I think that I can do here,” Caruso said to the media on Monday.

It also helps that Caruso has familiarity with the Oklahoma City front office and coach Mark Daigneault from his time with the Thunder’s G League affiliate. The fact that he’s charismatic, mature and a vocal leader lends well to the idea that he can integrate quickly.

Whether it’s as a starter or a primary piece coming off the bench, Caruso will be one of the Thunder’s most important players this season. Given his experience and complementary skillsets, he projects to be a player who has no problem integrating with his new team. He has a real chance to make a huge impact early in the 2024-25 season.

Oklahoma City added two players this summer — Caruso and Hartenstein — who will likely be top-six in minutes distribution, especially in the playoffs. Again, it’s important these two are integrated quickly and strategically to drive early-season success, but what really matters is the postseason. By then, Caruso and Hartenstein should both be fully ready to make their impact felt.