Alex Caruso Displayed The Best Postseason Of His Career in 2026 For The Thunder

The Thunder guard might be a veteran, but is continuing to put up big numbers.

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) reacts after a basket during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKC’s veteran guard is continuing to prove that experience isn’t the only thing he can offer. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season has come to an end as they were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs. However, now that they have had time to process it, there are diamonds that have begun to shine in the rough. 

One of these was the play of Alex Caruso in the playoffs. The Thunder veteran has been someone that Oklahoma City has gotten more use out of when the playoffs roll around at the end of the year. In both last season and this season, Caruso averaged at least five minutes more playing time in the postseason than he did in the regular season. 

This, of course, makes sense as Caruso has now played nine seasons in the NBA and has experience in how to compete and win in tough physical situations. However, Caruso proved that it isn’t just his IQ that can be used in these situations, as he had his best postseason ever on the offensive side of the ball. 

The Thunder guard averaged 11 points per game for the OKC squad on incredible shooting splits. He shot 47.8% from the field and 44.6% from three, and would lead the team in three pointers made per game with 2.2. Caruso would also average the most rebounds of his postseason career with three per game, always finding a way to out-hustle anyone for a board when OKC would need one. 

He had spectacular single-game performances, scoring as much as 31 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, where he would make eight shots from beyond the arc on 57.1% shooting from three. He proved he could take games over himself, not having to just be a decision maker or voice of reason, but a deadly scorer. 

Now, looking forward to next season, the Thunder will need the same type of intensity in the playoffs as they saw this year. The regular season is a different story, as Caruso’s minutes sat around the 18 minutes per game mark this season, making sure fatigue doesn’t affect the guard. This has been the case for both of Caruso’s seasons with OKC and has made him that much more of a threat in the postseason. 

The Thunder’s recipe for using Caruso in the playoffs has continued to pay off, and after the best postseason of his career, the Thunder veteran will be looking to one-up himself once again next year.