Alex Caruso Believes OKC Thunder Displays ‘True Basketball Substance’

Oklahoma City’s veteran, Alex Caruso, praised the team’s style of play this week.

Mar 31, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) goes up for a basket as Chicago Bulls guard Jevon Carter (5) defends during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Plenty has been said about the state of modern day NBA basketball. There are always daily discussions about viewership, style of play, officiating, and everything in between. The honest answer is that every era of basketball will be different — including ratings. Those who have given up on the NBA are missing a fun era of basketball, though.

Fans familiar with how basketball was played decades ago seem to strongly dislike the 3-point volume in today’s game. And sometimes, it really can feel that way. The advanced analytics and new data has led to more 3-point attempts and fewer long twos. Teams like the Boston Celtics can hyper focus on shots from the outside and score almost exclusively on the perimeter.

Oklahoma City isn’t really one of those teams, though. This Thunder team shoots the ball at a high clip, sure, but they play an old school style of basketball. Rugged defense, hustle plays, and team chemistry is at the forefront of everything this team does. Alex Caruso has only been a Thunder for a handful of months, but he has seen Oklahoma City’s authentic style of basketball first hand.

"At the end of the day, people tune in when there's good basketball being played." -- Alex Caruso speaks on the current narratives around the NBA's style of play pic.twitter.com/20H4UqgR5L

— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) April 5, 2025

“At the end of the day, people tune in when there's good basketball being played,” Caruso said. “When there’s good basketball being played, people aren’t going to tweet “this game sucks,” like when there’s substance to the game. 

“And in my opinion, our team is one of the best true basketball substance teams in the league. We play the whole game, we don’t skip steps. We play real basketball. And that’s why we have so many wins, first of all, it’s why we’re a good team. But also, eventually, you’ve gotta mix that into the national TV schedule, because that, at the end of the day, is what people want to see.”

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Television markets always seem to focus in on the big markets to draw in viewers. But as Caruso pointed out, that’s what can lead to negative commentary sometimes. Young, rising teams like Oklahoma City, Houston, and Cleveland play the game the right way and should be featured more.

Basketball fans want to see good basketball, and Oklahoma City provides that night in and night out.

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