Key Highlights
In keeping with 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 trade 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 without doubt one of the league’s preeminent position gamers and defenders. He’s earned All-Defensive Group bids in consecutive seasons and is well-versed in enjoying 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. Consistently within the grill of his assignments, he offers 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 affect 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 energy, middle of gravity and dexterity to frustrate wings, whereas additionally touting the lateral agility to include backcourt maestros. Oklahoma Metropolis didn’t have many weak factors on the ball defensively final season and shipped out its most evident 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 12 months. 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 increased due to the sheer injection of expertise and the flexibility that newfound expertise embeds.
The downstream prospects listed below are related, too. Caruso’s presence will allow Jalen Williams — who’s an amazing point-of-attack defender as effectively — to play off the ball extra usually, an space he’s additionally fairly impactful.
The Thunder may benefit from some secondary rim safety flanking Holmgren. That could be simpler to return by if Williams is deployed as a low man somewhat than assuming so many lofty on-ball assignments like he in 2023-24. He’s a viable low man and that insurance coverage coverage could diversify Holmgren’s ball-screen coverages. Not that it’s needed, however elevated optionality is at all times a constructive.
I’m additionally optimistic concerning the strides Cason Wallace could make with Caruso round to supply some pointers, along with his personal youthful growth. The 6-foot-4 Wallace is already superb defensively, however he doesn’t impose himself like Dort and Caruso do. Whereas that requires time to develop — the stability between foul-prone and correctly channeled physicality is delicate — it might 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 charge. The 12 months prior, they had been second in opposing turnover charge. 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, putting within the ninetieth percentile or higher in steal charge the previous six seasons, together with the 97th or higher the previous three seasons.
That is Oklahoma Metropolis doubling down on its elite defensive id by ushering in one of many league’s finest.
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 charge as soon as all through his five-year profession. A few of that’s due to his particular tasks, however 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 danger of any critical harm. The prospect of him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ninety fifth percentile steal charge) — each of whom had been prime three in deflections per recreation final season — inflicting havoc to ignite Oklahoma Metropolis’s top-10 transition assault is kind of engaging. Caruso ought to increase that side offensively, and it’s removed from the lone means he’ll grease the wheels.
He’s a profession 38 % outdoors shooter (41 % in 2023-24) with a profession .488 three-point charge. His quantity has by no means been gaudy (career-high 4.7 makes an attempt per recreation final season), but that’s extra a perform of his pretty small scoring load than cumbersome hesitancy on his finish. A protection most likely couldn’t deal with him how the Dallas Mavericks did Giddey within the second spherical — although it might strive, given the encompassing options.
Apart from the spacing and defensive upgrades, Caruso is well-suited as an off-ball cog not like Giddey, whose ineffectual jumper, creaky deal with and wretched ending hamstrung him — inflicting immense stress 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 finest traits offensively. He doesn’t cannibalize open actual property and as an alternative 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. A lot of the motion understandably flows by way of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren, however Caruso has some on-ball chops that may be productive with the right 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 Chicken Rights, which aids their efforts of retaining him in free company subsequent summer time. The absurdly low worth they landed Caruso at ought to embolden them to maintain being vigorous on the commerce market and as soon as this summer time’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 an additional high-level position participant, even when it’s a better price.
Backup middle, dimension on the 4, and quantity taking pictures are the evident wants. A Gilgeous-Alexander-Caruso-Dort-Williams-Holmgren quartet is small, although Giddey rather than 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 12 months (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 beneath 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, significantly within the second spherical.
The Thunder nailed this deal. They need to construct upon its momentum to additional sharpen their promising roster towards title rivalry.
