Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder veteran Alex Caruso mirrored on the disrespect he receives, defending Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic, and his full-circle second along with his head coach, Mark Daigneault. The 2 have come a great distance from the G League to the NBA Finals. When the Chicago Bulls traded Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey, it reunited Alex with Daigneault, his head coach from the G League’s Oklahoma Metropolis Blue.
Caruso addressed reconnecting with Daigneault with the Thunder, per Barstool’s Pardon My Take podcast.
“We each understand how cool it’s, like he got here and noticed me, I stay in Austin within the offseason, he got here and noticed me exercise and we went to lunch afterwards sooner or later and we have been simply breaking down the workforce and like you already know I am a basketball junkie and he is clearly a basketball nerd, guru, junkie, no matter you need to name it. And so we have been simply speaking in regards to the workforce and like how all people performs and stuff like that,” Caruso mentioned.
“After which we like clearly convey it up like, ‘You ever assume that you simply’d be driving to Austin and watch me work out to prepare for an NBA season 9 years, ten years in the past?’ he is like, ‘No, I am not going to lie I did not assume I used to be.’ I like ‘Yeah, me both,’” Caruso concluded.
Practically a decade faraway from their first season collectively, it is like nothing’s modified between Caruso and Daigneault.
“We have not directly all year long I feel there’s identical to that understanding that like yeah we have been within the trenches,” Caruso added. “You understand how way back that was? It wasn’t even the G- League. It was the D-League nonetheless.”
Now, Caruso and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault are getting into the NBA Finals.
Alex Caruso identifies why Thunder traded for him
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Thunder veteran Alex Caruso has stepped his recreation up all through the postseason. He is averaging 8.8 factors on 45.8% capturing, together with 41.5% from deep, making opponents pay for leaving him open whereas draining 1.8 threes per recreation. Defensively, he is a pest. Guarding positions one by way of 5, together with Denver Nuggets’ MVP runner-up All-Star middle, Nikola Jokic.
For Caruso, his vary on each ends of the ground made him a super match for this yr’s defensive-minded, offensively explosive Thunder workforce
“It has been fairly fluid simply because I’m allowed to be myself, which has gotten me so far which explains that I feel they made the commerce for me final summer time,” Caruso mentioned.
“I’m allowed to be myself… which has gotten me so far which explains that I feel they made the commerce for me final summer time… the stuff that I used to be good at and the issues that helped elevate the gamers round me & the workforce.”
Alex Caruso 🗣️
(by way of @Joe_Sway) pic.twitter.com/JOyErKGhJM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) Might 19, 2025
After profitable a title with the Lakers in 2020, Caruso is making his second look within the NBA Finals.