How Does Caruso’s Role Differ From the Regular Season To The Playoffs?

How the Thunder's backup guard's production goes from good to great over the course of the season.

Jun 16, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) in the first quarter during game five of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Last summer, the Thunder acquired one of their most important players in their championship run, Alex Caruso. 

The 31-year-old guard added much-needed experience and wisdom to the young Thunder core, which ultimately helped them raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy this past year.

Caruso understands that he’s not the team’s star player, but he also understands that when the game is on the line, he is one of the ones OKC will call on. 

This means that in the regular season, Caruso isn’t going to play 25 minutes every night, but he very well could in the playoffs.

Regular Season

Although he is only 31, Caruso is the oldest player on the Thunder’s roster. This factor, along with some injuries throughout the season, made the Thunder hold Caruso to only playing 19.3 minutes per game in the regular season. This, of course, didn’t seem like a problem as the Thunder cruised to the best record in the West for the second straight year. 

Caruso’s main role in the regular season is helping his younger teammates develop. This year, with guards like Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell vying for playing time, Caruso might see his regular-season minutes drop more due to the Thunder developing the next generation of talent.

This, of course, doesn’t mean he won’t play at all. Caruso is a valuable asset on defense with a defensive rating of 103.8 last year and 1.6 steals per game. He is also a leader and a facilitator on the court who averaged 2.5 assists and 0.7 turnovers per game. 

Playoffs

Once every game starts to matter, Caruso hears his name called a lot more. Caruso’s minutes jumped all the way up to 24.4 minutes per game in the playoffs, and the workload came along with it. 

Caruso averaged two more points in the playoffs than in the regular season and even had breakout performances, like in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where he scored 20. His efficiency also improved with more opportunities, as he shot 5.8% better from three. 

His already stellar defense also improved as his defensive rating rose to 105.2, and he averaged 2.0 steals a night. 

Even though Caruso might not be considered a star on the Thunder’s roster, the team wouldn’t be the same without him, and he will definitely be a necessary piece as OKC tries to repeat. 

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