OKC Thunder Need Alex Caruso's Offense to Come Around

The Thunder could use another scoring punch off the bench and Caruso has yet to deliver.

Nov 2, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) shoots against LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s offseason trade has resulted in a stifling defense, but it also expected a larger impact on the other end.

On Wednesday, the Thunder’s seven-game winning streak to begin the season came to an end. Despite an 11-point halftime advantage, the Thunder were unable to hang on in Denver against a Nuggets team finding their stride.

While there are plenty of areas to pin the loss on, a troubling trend continued in Denver. Alex Caruso has struggled to find his way offensively with the Thunder and had his worst game of the season on Wednesday. He scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting, missing a few layups and all three of his shots from beyond the arc.

Playing roughly 20 minutes per game, Caruso has struggled to live up to expectations on offense. He is averaging only 2.6 points and shooting 23.7% from the floor and 14.3% from 3-point range.

Last season in Chicago, Caruso averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 46.8% from the floor and 40.8% from outside. That version of Caruso seems foreign to what the Thunder have witnessed thus far.

Of course, Caruso is one of the best defenders in the league and shined in Denver with four steals and two blocks. While he has been everything Oklahoma City could have hoped for on that end, the Thunder were not looking to add someone who was only effective on one end.

In eight games, Caruso has gone scoreless twice and failed to score more than six points in a game. He has also shot 50% or better only once and has made only three 3-pointers this year.

Although his numbers have been concerning throughout the first couple of weeks, Caruso’s struggles should be a simple fix. He is getting open looks and penetrating inside with consistency, but he can’t get the shots to fall.

Oklahoma City has preached process over results for the past few years, and that mindset is exactly how it needs to approach this situation. The process is there. Caruso is getting good looks and filling the right spots on offense. He simply needs the results to follow.

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