<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-sustains-concussion-nba-protocol');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso sustains concussion, under NBA protocol');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso_1537f1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso sustains concussion, under NBA protocol</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-23T08:54:03-07:00">October 23rd, 8:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-23T08:54:03-07:00">October 23rd, 8:54am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After Oklahoma City Thunder veteran guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-watch-as-okc-raises-first-ever-nba-championship-banner">Alex Caruso helped raise the 2025 championship banner</a>, he sustained a concussion in Tuesday’s 125-124 double-overtime win against the Houston Rockets. Caruso has been placed in the NBA’s <a href="https://x.com/Joe_Sway/status/1981100808776405100" rel="noopener">concussion protocol</a>.</p><p>After receiving his second championship ring, Caruso, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win their last title in 2020, finished with eight points, three assists, and two steals off the bench in the Thunder’s home opener. However, his status for Oklahoma City’s second game of the regular season — against the Indiana Pacers in a Finals rematch — is in doubt.</p><p>Alex Caruso will join an extended list of injuries to Thunder players, including All-Star Jalen Williams, who’s still recovering from offseason surgery on his right wrist, and Isaiah Joe, who’s dealing with a knee injury. Rookie Nikola Topic, who suffered a testicular injury during preseason, is also ruled out for Thursday’s matchup against the Pacers, along with Kenrich Williams, who will miss extended time after undergoing left knee surgery in September.</p><h2><b>Mark Daigneault leans on Thunder’s Ajay Mitchell amid injuries</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-guard-Ajay-Mitchell_809f44.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With All-Star Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe ruled out in the season opener against the Rockets, Thunder head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-why-mark-daigneault-was-not-surprised-unlikely-breakout-performance">Mark Daigneault turned to Ajay Mitchell for relief</a>, and wasn’t surprised to see the second-year guard led his bench. Scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep, Mitchell delivered.</p><p>“I’m not surprised. He was kind of playing like this before he got hurt last year. So, we knew what we had with him,” Daigneault said. “He’s done a great job over the summer with his body and has come into training camp when he hasn’t been hurt, and done really well. This was his first game action since a couple of preseason games ago. So, he came in with confidence and aggression, and we’re going to need that from him. But no one was surprised by how he played.”</p><p>With Alex Caruso ruled out against the Pacers, Daigneault will most likely turn to Mitchell for an increased role off the bench.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso sustains concussion, under NBA protocol

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-heaps-applause-rookie-final-roster-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso heaps applause on Thunder rookie during final roster push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-veteran-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Alex Caruso heaps applause on Thunder rookie during final roster push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-08T17:17:44-07:00">October 8th, 5:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-08T17:17:44-07:00">October 8th, 5:17pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Alex Caruso knows what it’s like to enter training camp on an Exhibit-10 deal, he reminded everyone, as the undrafted two-time champion discussed what he sees in prospect Chris Youngblood. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-3-takeaways-preseason-opener-hornets">Youngblood strengthened his case for a two-way deal</a> in the Thunder’s preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets. He finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 attempts in 21 minutes in a 135-114 victory.</p><p>Ahead of the Thunder’s rematch against the Hornets on Thursday, Caruso <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYo5SAHJ2-k" rel="noopener">gave reporters his first impressions</a> of Youngblood after practice on Wednesday.</p><p>“CY has done a great job of being true to himself. Obviously, a tremendous shooter — he’s locked and loaded every time the ball comes his way. That carries value and carries a threat in a positive way for the team in the game of basketball nowadays,” Caruso said. “So, for him to have that awareness is really good. I think he’s doing a tremendous job as well of being a great teammate.</p><p>“Every day he comes in with a smile on his face, and he’s working hard, trying to push himself in more drills and more drills. He’s a joy to be around. He’s a good teammate. So, it makes it fun to show up and go to work each day,” Caruso concluded.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso on Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s legacy</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-veteran-Alex-Caruso-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-shai-gilgeous-alexander-hall-of-fame-territory">Alex Caruso gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander high praise</a>, labeling him a future Hall of Famer who puts forth the most effort as the team’s competitive leader.</p><p>“Greatness doesn’t rest — that’s what I’ve seen from the guys in the league that are Hall of Famers, that are ascending Hall of Famers, greatness has a skillset, greatness has a work ethic, greatness has a mindset. And Shai comes in every day like he’s trying to make the team,” Caruso said. “He is the most competitive guy on our team, day in, day out.”</p><p>It’s a process, Caruso says Gilgeous-Alexander discovered during his time with the Thunder.</p><p>“He’s figured it out up here, and obviously, you mix that work ethic and that competitiveness with the skillset and athleticism he has, and it’s no surprise that he’s ascending to winning awards and having success in the league,” Caruso added. “I’ve seen it with countless other guys that I’ve been around that are all gonna have jackets on at the end of their careers.”</p><p>As the reigning MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander enters 2025-26 with the second-best early odds behind Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic to win it again.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso heaps applause on Thunder rookie during final roster push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-shai-gilgeous-alexander-hall-of-fame-territory');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso puts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Hall of Fame territory');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso puts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Hall of Fame territory</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-08T15:45:10-07:00">October 8th, 3:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-08T15:45:10-07:00">October 8th, 3:45pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Alex Caruso gave reporters an inside look at what makes All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander such a special player. Ahead of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/3-shai-gilgeous-alexander-bold-predictions-for-2025-26-thunder-season">Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s 2025-26 season</a>, Caruso revealed why he thinks Shai is on the path toward a Hall of Fame career.</p><p>For Caruso, Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYo5SAHJ2-k" rel="noopener">exudes greatness in his approach</a> as a leader for the Thunder.</p><p>“Greatness doesn’t rest — that’s what I’ve seen from the guys in the league that are Hall of Famers, that are ascending Hall of Famers, greatness has a skillset, greatness has a work ethic, greatness has a mindset. And Shai comes in every day like he’s trying to make the team,” Caruso said. “He is the most competitive guy on our team, day in, day out.”</p><p>Caruso already sees the makings of a future Hall of Fame guard in SGA.</p><p>“There’ll be days in the middle of the season when we’ll have practice, and everyone’s kind of lagging through practice. He gets one play, and he’s like yelling, asking people to guard him harder,” Caruso said. “He’s figured it out up here, and obviously, you mix that work ethic and that competitiveness with the skillset and athleticism he has, and it’s no surprise that he’s ascending to winning awards and having success in the league. I’ve seen it with countless other guys that I’ve been around that are all gonna have jackets on at the end of their careers.”</p><p>And when it comes to winning titles, Alex Caruso shares Gilgeous-Alexander’s itch to win more, heading into 2025-26.</p><p>“It’s really fun to be his teammate and to be around that because it’s infectious,” Caruso added. “That’s the kind of teammate I want to play with. That’s the kind of leader I want to play with. And he’s right. One’s not enough. I wanted my second one last year. I want my third. It’s addictive. Once you get the first one, you want the next one more.”</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won’t be happy with one Thunder title</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander_8f5892.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-why-shai-gilgeous-alexander-wont-satisfied-one-more-championship">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to win multiple championships</a>. It’s the only way the league MVP can inch closer to having the kind of Hall of Fame career as the greats that came before him. Gilgeous-Alexander made that much clear ahead of defending his first NBA title.</p><p>“A step in the right direction for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “All of the guys that I study, idolize, and look up to, and strive to get to that level, have done it multiple, multiple, and multiple of times. There is still a lot more work to be done. Any of them will tell you it only gets harder every time. So, a lot more work to do for sure.”</p><p>The Thunder will continue its preseason schedule with a second matchup against the Hornets on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso puts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Hall of Fame territory

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-warning-surviving-2-game-7s-en-route-title');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso’s warning to Thunder after surviving 2 Game 7s en route to title');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>DOUG HOKE/THEOKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Alex Caruso’s warning to Thunder after surviving 2 Game 7s en route to title</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-30T10:36:28-07:00">September 30th, 10:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-30T10:36:28-07:00">September 30th, 10:36am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Alex Caruso knows the difficulty that comes with defending an NBA title. The two-time champion is the only member of the 2025 championship team whose lived it. Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-eyes-bigger-goals-title-contract-extension">Jalen Williams pointed toward bigger goals beyond 2025</a>, ready to move on from last year’s historic campaign that resulted in the franchise’s first title — he wants more, and so does Alex.</p><p>Caruso and the 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers were a first-round exit after winning the NBA Finals in 2020. However, this Thunder team is different. Caruso told reporters at Media Day, reminding them of <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1972719781284319557" rel="noopener">the narrow path</a> it took past the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and a second Game 7 in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.</p><p>“Other than the first [round] and conference finals, the other two series went seven games. So, there’s obviously room for improvement,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “If you come into the season thinking that it’s going to be smooth sailing, and it’s just going to be the same thing, we’d be really naive to what reality is like. Every season has a different story.</p><p>“Every team writes a different story each season just based on how many games there are, the ebbs and flows of the season, injuries occur — things you can’t predict, things you can’t control. I think for us, it’s really just about seeing and finding ways to get better.”</p><p>For Caruso, playing through two Game 7s en route to clinch a championship is proof that the Thunder must continue to grow in 2025-26.</p><p>“We do have room to improve. Like I said, because teams took us to seven games. It’s not like we won 16 games in a row and we’re crowned champions,” Caruso added. “So, there’s definitely room for improvement. It’s just about finding those areas and then working on it throughout the season.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso when I asked what the Thunder can do to become the first back-to-back champions in eight years:</p><p>“Finding ways to get better. Other than the first (round) and conference finals, the other two series went seven games. So, there’s obviously room for improvement” <a href="https://t.co/lI3pxSksIq">pic.twitter.com/lI3pxSksIq</a></p><p>— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1972719781284319557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Jalen Williams is eyeing greatness for 2025-26 Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams_00a298.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder veteran Alex Caruso isn’t the only member of the 2025 championship squad with eyes for a second title, as All-Star Jalen Williams relayed a similar sentiment. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-sam-presti-prioritizes-growth-amid-dynasty-talk">Thunder have the potential to become a dynasty</a>, which has been an underlying theme, for the league’s youngest team, heading into the 2025-26 campaign as defending champs.</p><p>“This is gonna sound really dramatic, but you really are chasing greatness,” Williams said. “You’re chasing to achieve stuff that hasn’t been done in our organization. And that’s everybody’s motivation. I think that’s why we’re such a special group.”</p><p>The Thunder begin training camp on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso’s warning to Thunder after surviving 2 Game 7s en route to title

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-joe-lacob-refused-include-jonathan-kuminga-alex-caruso-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Joe Lacob refused to include Jonathan Kuminga in Alex Caruso trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Warriors-Jonathan-Kuminga-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Joe Lacob refused to include Jonathan Kuminga in Alex Caruso trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-15T08:54:49-07:00">September 15th, 8:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-15T08:54:49-07:00">September 15th, 8:54am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is reportedly an avid supporter of Jonathan Kuminga, which led to the team declining a reported offer from the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-why-jonathan-kuminga-hasnt-accepted-organizational-burning-qualifying-offer">Kuminga has yet to accept a qualifying offer</a> for 2025-26, the Warriors’ negotiating a long-term deal has turned into a stalemate two weeks before an October 1 deadline for Jonathan to opt-in.</p><p>The Warriors could have included Kuminga in a deal for Caruso, who was eventually traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey last summer, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46210422/inside-warriors-stalemate-jonathan-kuminga" rel="noopener">but chose not to</a>, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and ESPN’s Sham Charania.</p><p>“Lacob has remained a staunch Kuminga supporter and vocal believer in his long-term future,” Slater and Charania reported. “He voiced an unwillingness to include Kuminga in a proposed trade from Chicago for Alex Caruso a couple of seasons back, sources said, and was still glowing about Kuminga’s performance in May after he rose from out of Steve Kerr’s first-round rotation to the team’s leading scorer in the second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.”</p><p>Still, Kuminga remains one of the Warriors’ assets who could be included in a deal somewhere down the line, which is most likely why Warriors owner Joe Lacob was unwilling to trade him.</p><p>However, what will be Kuminga’s role next season, and will he evolve into a starter for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr?</p><p>“Lacob, while involved, opinionated, and willing to spend, has never demanded specific rotation decisions, sources said. Kerr, a four-time champion coach, will be given the same power he has always had over his operation in his 12th season with the Warriors,” Slater and Charania reported. “Kuminga’s side understands that and knows — considering the history and roster dynamics in place — a reunion comes with a likely bench role and the possibility of being minimized for stretches of the season.”</p><h2><b>Jonathan Kuminga turns down Warriors’ $75.2 million offer</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Warriors-Jonathan-Kuminga_a48430.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-rumors-jonathan-kuminga-offered-million-souped-up-counter-declined">Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga reportedly turned down $75.2 million</a> on a three-year extension, as The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and ESPN’s Shams Charania noted.</p><p>“One of the latest counters, sources said, came in the past week: One year on a negotiable number, presented as a souped-up version of the qualifying offer, getting Kuminga a financial bump [up from $8 million] and unrestricted free agency next summer while wiping away the inherent no-trade clause and allowing the Warriors to use him as an expiring contract at the deadline,” Slater and Charania wrote.</p><p>“It would serve as a bridge deal that gives both sides the ability to examine another year together, but also a much more trade-friendly salary number as opposed to the qualifying offer, which has an Oct. 1 deadline.”</p><p>If Kuminga opts in to his qualifying offer, worth $8 million next season, he can veto any trade that comes across the Warriors’ front office table.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Joe Lacob refused to include Jonathan Kuminga in Alex Caruso trade talks

Jamal Crawford

RJ Barrett

Lou Williams

Gordon Hayward

Alex Caruso

Josh Hart

Julius Randle

Nicolas Batum

Serge Ibaka

Rajon Rondo

2019-20 NBA Champ

2022-23 All-Defensive

2x All-Defensive

2020 NBA Champ

2x NBA Champ

Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago Bulls

Oklahoma City Thunder

Career

1 season

2 seasons

https://twitter.com/ACFresh21/status/1651329562616242176/

Haaland letting the hair flow before final whistle is so disrespectful 😭😭

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https://twitter.com/ACFresh21/status/1632249369977036801/

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.0	2.0	3.0	1.0	2.0

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.0	2.0	3.0	1.0	2.0

Alex
Caruso

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