The Lakers chose Tucker to abandon him, but now Caruso is in the finals again, who will he slap in the face?

Before the 2025 Finals started, the entire league was discussing the Thunder's youth army myths - names such as Alexander, Chett, and Jaylen Williams were repeatedly mentioned. But there is a man who used his silent performance to moisten things and became the key catalyst for the Thunder counterattack. He is Alex Caruso, a defensive player who made a comeback from a undraft to a championship puzzle.

From the Lakers to the Bulls: The underrated defensive art master

Most people's impression of Caruso stayed in the Lakers' era - the Bald Mamba with a headband and robbed the floor ball all over the field. But in 2021, the Lakers chose the latter between him and Horton Tucker, and Caruso had to go to the Bulls with regret.

His life in Chicago was awkward. The Bulls' lineup is neither up nor down, and the defensive system is chaotic, and Caruso has nowhere to display his defensive skills. It was not until he joined the Thunder this year that he really came back to life.

Thunder: Caruso's defensive paradise

Thunder and Caruso are simply a match made in heaven. This team is engraved with the genes of fighting first: Dort, Wallace, and rookie Ajay Mitchell, all of whom are defensive mad dogs. As soon as Caruso came, he directly formed the league's most terrifying outside defense group.

Let's take a look at Caruso's data:

He only played 360 minutes in the playoffs, but sent 28 steals (third in the league). In comparison, OG Anunobi, who ranked second, played 668 minutes and Bridges played 674 minutes;

interfered with 52 passes (third in the league), and together with Dort and Wallace, he pushed his opponent's three-point shooting percentage to 33.1%;

When he was on the court, the Thunder's defensive efficiency plummeted from 105.3 to 99.6, conceding 5.7 points less per 100 rounds;

What's even more outrageous is that when he was on the bench, the Thunder's net winning score dropped by 10.8 points in 100 rounds - how is this a role player? It is clearly an offensive and defensive switch.

Defend Jokic and lock Edwards: His defense has the IQ

Caruso's defense, not by relying on his body, but by playing with his brain.

The second round of the Nuggets, he is the main defense of Jokic - the third MVP! The Serbian center faced him, with only 4 of 12 shots (33% shooting percentage). In the life-and-death battle between G7, he used a plaster-like defense, and Jokic only made one move in the second half. There is a particularly classic round: Jokic asked for the ball in the elbow area, and Caruso first resolutely went around and did not allow the ball to be easily received; the Nuggets transferred the ball to the top of the arc, and he quickly adjusted his steps, stuck between Jokic and the basket, pulling the loose headband with one hand and pinching Jokic's waist and abdomen with the other hand - this action was on the edge of the foul, directly allowing Jokic to make a layup without touch.

plays the Timberwolves' Western Finals, and he is the main defense of Edwards. The kid averaged 29 points per game this season, shooting 55.5% at the basket, but facing Caruso, his shooting percentage plummeted to 43.5% (down 12 percentage points). Thunder coach Dagnot even dared to use him to defend Gobert's pick-and-roll - Caruso didn't lose much rebound, and Edwards had to face the stronger Dort when he called.

Negated offensive value: He is the Thunder's tactical fulcrum

Many people think Caruso can only defend, but his offense also has hidden mystery.

In the playoffs this season, he shot 41.5% from three-pointers (42.1% of the ball catches and shoots, ranking 13th among the players in the league with more than 3 catches and shoots). The Thunder's Alexander and Jaylen Williams averaged 33.7 breakthroughs per game (first in the league). Caruso's three-point restraint made the opponent dare not shrink the defense line, which directly liberated the double-core breakthrough space.

What is even more amazing is his organizational ability. He averaged 2.5 assists per game in the playoffs, half of which came from the Thunder's fake pick-and-roll real pass tactics. In the second round of the Nuggets G2, he used joint defense to limit the Thunder. Caruso directly punished the Nuggets with passes and free throws on the wing, allowing the Thunder to jump from 12th in the regular season to 4th in the playoffs. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the catalyst to make the core better.

Do the Lakers regret it? He used his performance in the West Finals to slap Caruso in the face

The Lakers let Caruso go, to keep Horton Tucker - now he has "becomes a big shot", and Caruso has become the key man in the West Finals. In the Thunder locker room, he is the only veteran over 30 years old. He is the first to go to the training ground every day to lead young people to practice defensive steps, and ignite the entire team with a professional attitude. Chet shouted when he made Edwards' offensive foul, which is the best proof. The ultimate answer to blue-collar workers is to do dirty work into art, Caruso's story, full of blue-collar counterattacks: from undrafts to champion puzzles, from Bulls' trading chips to the strategic fulcrum of the Thunder. He proved with his actions that in modern basketball, practicing defense, fighting, and no-ball to the extreme can also become the core of the championship. In the finals, he will face Halliburton, the Pacers' point guard who is also known for his intelligence. Caruso's defense exchange communication, bottom-line assistance, and key steals may become an invisible player who decides the title.

As Alexander said: He has always been a superstar in his role. This may be the ultimate answer for role players in modern basketball.