The Oklahoma City Thunder began their 2024 offseason with a banger as they shipped away Josh Giddey to land defensive dynamo Alex Caruso. Various NBA analysts have hailed the move and believe Caruso is the missing piece for Thunder’s championship quest. Rachel Nichols also chipped in with a congratulatory note to OKC Thunder’s Director General, Sam Presti, for enabling the momentous trade.
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On UNDISPUTED, she pointed out that Caruso’s addition to the Thunder would make them a defensive powerhouse. Nichols highlighted that Caruso joined Luguentz Dort, who alongside him was one of the top three players in total steals during the 2023-24 season.
Thus, she argued the league is now in trouble as Thunder can deploy two of the best defensive players in the market.
“The idea of Alex caruso and the Oklahoma City, it’s so dangerous..It is just another Sam Presti move that you have to sit back and clap your hands… Oklahoma City now has two of the top three players in total steals.. They also have the top two guys in Caruso and Lu Dort who guarded All-Stars the most last season, the guys who had the hardest assignments.”
.@keyshawn compares the Thunder trading for Alex Caruso to Boston trading for Jrue Holiday 👀 pic.twitter.com/fbqWwsCx6y
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) June 21, 2024
Thus, the former ESPN analyst is sure that Presti’s move is going to pay immense dividends during the 2024-25 season. Apart from Nichols, her co-hosts believe that Thunder has set the template for a ring.
Oklahoma City Thunder is earning a ton of praise
Keyshawn Johnson also lauded the Thunder for making a decisive move. He compared it to the Boston Celtics’ acquisition of Jrue Holiday in the 2023 offseason, which paved the way to their first championship in 16 years. On UNDISPUTED, Johnson stated,
“You know what this move is though, it’s a Boston Celtic move, believe it or not. This is what they did to get over the hump, we need to be able to do the same thing.”
Thus, the Alex Caruso pick-up is resonating with the prominent hoops analysts. It makes sense because not only is Caruso a terrific defender, but he also has championship experience with the 2020 title-winning Los Angeles Lakers roster which made him a highly sought-after entity.
While he doesn’t have the similar passing and scoring chops as Holiday, his ability to make catch-and-shoot jumpers, alongside elite defense, bodes well for Thunder’s title chances next season.
