Key Highlights
In response to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Chicago Bulls have agreed to a deal that can ship Alex Caruso to the Thunder in change for Josh Giddey.
Though the transfer doesn’t unilaterally alleviate all of Oklahoma Metropolis’s points — inside dimension behind Chet Holmgren, on-ball passing, three-point quantity — Caruso’s arrival will improve the Thunder and assist shore up a few of their flaws. Caruso is likely one of the league’s preeminent position gamers and defenders. He’s earned All-Defensive Workforce bids in consecutive seasons and is well-versed in taking part in alongside stars. He is aware of the right way to amplify them and discover his personal additive position inside their ecosystem.
His major attract has lengthy been the protection. He’s arguably the foremost perimeter stopper within the NBA. Continuously within the grill of his assignments, he gives managed and pestering physicality on the level of assault, but solely averages 3.3 fouls per 36 minutes for his profession. Screens are hardly a nuisance for him. He neutralizes their influence and wiggles over them in manners replicated by choose contemporaries.
Regardless of solely standing 6-foot-5, the veteran is able to defending up. He successfully guards 1-3 and smaller 4s, leveraging his power, middle of gravity and dexterity to frustrate wings, whereas additionally touting the lateral agility to comprise backcourt maestros. Oklahoma Metropolis didn’t have many weak factors on the ball defensively final season and shipped out its most obtrusive one in favor of a dynamite defender.
He and Luguentz Dort — assuming Dort stays on the town — are going to take turns hounding and pressuring opposing stars subsequent yr. The Thunder rostering two premier point-of-attack defenders who play greater than their stature is a welcomed wrinkle.
It empowers them to sic both Dort or Caruso on an opposing star guard and the opposite on a star wing with out actually needing to prioritize one; they’re able to allocate very important assets onto each, which wasn’t at all times the case in 2023-24. The defensive ceiling is considerably greater due to the sheer injection of expertise and the flexibility that newfound expertise embeds.
The downstream prospects listed here are related, too. Caruso’s presence will allow Jalen Williams — who’s an incredible point-of-attack defender as effectively — to play off the ball extra recurrently, an space he’s additionally fairly impactful.
The Thunder may benefit from some secondary rim safety flanking Holmgren. That is perhaps simpler to come back by if Williams is deployed as a low man slightly than assuming so many lofty on-ball assignments like he in 2023-24. He’s a viable low man and that insurance coverage coverage might diversify Holmgren’s ball-screen coverages. Not that it’s vital, however elevated optionality is at all times a optimistic.
I’m additionally optimistic concerning the strides Cason Wallace could make with Caruso round to supply some pointers, along with his personal youthful improvement. The 6-foot-4 Wallace is already excellent defensively, however he doesn’t impose himself like Dort and Caruso do. Whereas that requires time to develop — the steadiness between foul-prone and correctly channeled physicality is delicate — it may very well be accelerated with a guard defender of Caruso’s (and Dort’s) caliber imparting knowledge.
A season in the past, the Thunder completed fourth in defensive ranking and led the NBA in opposing turnover fee. The yr prior, they had been second in opposing turnover fee. That is an aggressive protection constructed on strong-side assist and loading the paint. Caruso is aware of that method. It’s not all that dissimilar from a few of Chicago’s tenets.
To not point out, he’s a premier defensive playmaker himself, inserting within the ninetieth percentile or higher in steal fee the previous six seasons, together with the 97th or higher the previous three seasons.
That is Oklahoma Metropolis doubling down on its elite defensive identification by ushering in one of many league’s greatest.
The place Dort and Caruso differ as defenders is off the ball. Caruso is a extremely alert helper who reliably executes crisp rotations and snuffs out offensive selections to generate loads of turnovers. Dort’s ranked above the sixtieth percentile in steal fee as soon as all through his five-year profession. A few of that’s due to his particular tasks, nevertheless it partially underscores the place his presents primarily reside in comparison with Caruso’s multifaceted nature.
The 2020 NBA champion is a brilliantly instinctive off-ball defender who genuinely performs as if a missed rotation is extra damaging than the chance of any critical damage. The prospect of him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ninety fifth percentile steal fee) — each of whom had been high three in deflections per sport final season — inflicting havoc to ignite Oklahoma Metropolis’s top-10 transition assault is sort of engaging. Caruso ought to increase that side offensively, and it’s removed from the lone approach he’ll grease the wheels.
He’s a profession 38 % exterior shooter (41 % in 2023-24) with a profession .488 three-point fee. His quantity has by no means been gaudy (career-high 4.7 makes an attempt per sport final season), but that’s extra a operate of his pretty small scoring load than cumbersome hesitancy on his finish. A protection in all probability couldn’t deal with him how the Dallas Mavericks did Giddey within the second spherical — although it might attempt, given the encircling options.
Other than the spacing and defensive upgrades, Caruso is well-suited as an off-ball cog in contrast to Giddey, whose ineffectual jumper, creaky deal with and wretched ending hamstrung him — inflicting immense pressure throughout his playoff minutes and at occasions all through the common season. He’s a vastly higher, extra snug off-ball participant than the Australian.
Caruso is a heady cutter, swift, sturdy screener, reliable decision-maker and good connective playmaker. His processing is amongst his greatest traits offensively. He doesn’t cannibalize open actual property and as a substitute maximizes it. As an ancillary participant, that is crucial in Oklahoma Metropolis’s offense.
I’m curious how, if in any respect, his complementary ball-handling is featured. Many of the motion understandably flows by Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren, however Caruso has some on-ball chops that may be productive with the proper utilization, particularly in early offense, empty nook units.
Financially, Caruso is owed $1.5 million greater than Giddey this season (~$9.8 vs. $8.3 million) and the Thunder maintain his Hen Rights, which aids their efforts of retaining him in free company subsequent summer season. The absurdly low value they landed Caruso at ought to embolden them to maintain being vigorous on the commerce market and as soon as this summer season’s free company cycle begins.
They nonetheless personal all their future picks and sport appreciable cap area to fine-tune an excellent roster with some evident holes to handle. Take a swing at a star. Strive for one more high-level position participant, even when it’s the next value.
Backup middle, dimension on the 4, and quantity capturing are the obtrusive wants. A Gilgeous-Alexander-Caruso-Dort-Williams-Holmgren quartet is small, although Giddey instead of Caruso is of comparable dimension functionally with quite a bit much less defensive aptitude.
Perhaps, Dort turns into expendable within the seek for frontcourt assist or offensive juice. Throughout the common season and playoffs, he shot 39 % past the arc final yr (32 % within the second spherical), however is a profession 34 % marksman and lacks a lot verve or sound decision-making attacking closeouts. Somebody who’s a defensive plus — albeit effectively under Dort’s requirements — however presents extra off the ball offensively could also be a extra palatable match after this retool.
Caruso for Giddey straight up is such a staggering mprovement for Oklahoma Metropolis. Caruso is an superior plug-and-play man to eat up 25-Half-hour nightly. He’s actually, actually good and provides dynamism on each ends for a crew that wanted extra final season, notably within the second spherical.
The Thunder nailed this deal. They need to construct upon its momentum to additional sharpen their promising roster towards title competition.
