OKC vs Pacers NBA Finals: Is Alex Caruso ‘X Factor’ for Thunder Against Pacers?
“He’d run around, guard everybody, take the ball and go, and just create all sorts of chaos,” Jason Bullard, one of Alex Caruso’s early pick-up-basketball opponents, said, “Some guys would even get annoyed. It’d be like, ‘Who’s this little kid running around trying to steal the ball from us every time?” It was when Alex Caruso might have envisioned him playing in the NBA. And now at 31, the eight-year veteran is still creating the same chaos in the OKC vs Pacers NBA finals. Eventually, it’s somehow working for the Thunder team.
With 20 points and 3 rebounds in just 26 minutes of gameplay, Caruso ensured that the Pacers didn’t get a ‘comeback opportunity’ in Game 2 of the OKC vs Pacers NBA Finals series. And his hustle plays, not shown on the stat sheet, also impacted the Pacers’ offensive flow. He might have gone undrafted in 2016, but it is this capacity for wreaking havoc on the court that propelled the Texas star to one of the great role players.
But frankly, highlighting his ‘rushed’ plays will undermine his ability to score and rebound. OKC’s young team just got ‘a dawg’ who has the ability to both build on those skills, refine them and create fear among their opponents. Caruso proudly accepted the role for the OKC team. Alex’s words for his gameplay were,
“I think when you use the word ‘chaos,’ it’s for the other team. Creating chaos for them and making them have to think and second-guess things. For us, I’m trying to be settling and create a rhythm and flow. Have an understanding of what we’re gonna do and then putting guys in positions where they can just play and don’t have to think.”
Coming off the bench, Caruso is OKC’s fourth top scorer (9.6 ppg), assists maker (2.4 apg), three-point shooter (41.2%) and in blocks in the 2024-25 NBA playoffs. He is also second in steals per game for the side, making it hard for the opponents to run away with a big scoring spree. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyree Haliburton are grabbing the headlines, Alex Caruso is a silent killer, vital for close games and impacting the outcome. Don’t forget he has won a ring with the Lakers and played with LeBron James – one of the brightest minds in the league.
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Alex Caruso Talks LeBron James’ Impact Ahead of OKC vs Pacers Game 3
Upgrading from the G-League to the LA Lakers team – Caruso had a lot of adjustments to make. Playing alongside the young Laker team with mega star LeBron James guiding them in 2018. Caruso had already spent a year with the Lakers team by then, but playing alongside the Finals MVP certainly changed his perspective. When asked about what he had picked up for LBJ, Caruso said,
“Just the ability to be a pro. To go get your treatment, to eat right, to sleep, get in your recovery tights. The competitive greatness that he has that I’ve picked up from him and other guys has been a good addition to my mentality. But really just being a pro. Being a pro’s pro. I think we played over a hundred games as a team now this year, not including practices, not including travel days. All that stuff adds up. Just being a pro, making sure I’m taking care of my body, my mind and bringing others with me.”
While LeBron led the charge for the teams he played on, Caruso is happy to take a back seat and yet drive the team to victories. The OKC vs Pacers series is tied at game apiece right now, but Caruso has a big role to play to help his side lift the title.
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