Alex Caruso isn’t pretending to have every answer heading into the new season. He knows the Thunder’s picture can change fast, and he’s comfortable living in that uncertainty.
That was the message Monday in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder held media day and opened up their unofficial run toward the 2026-27 season. Caruso, entering his third year with the team, said the NBA’s constant movement makes it impossible to lock in on a single version of how his role will look months from now.
“I can't comment on what it will be like this season just because each season kind of holds a different story and you don't really know what the NBA is going to look like three months from now,” Caruso said. “Everything changes in a three-month span, that's how I like to look at it, from beginning of the season, midseason, post-trade deadline, playoffs, off-season. Everything changes so much that it's hard to predict.”
That uncertainty isn’t just about Caruso. Oklahoma City is also adjusting to the departures of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, which could force different players into different jobs than they’ve held in the past. Caruso could be one of the pieces affected.
Even so, he made it clear he believes the Thunder are in good hands with Mark Daigneault, who is set to begin his seventh season as head coach.
“I think one of Mark's strengths [is] that he kind of holds everybody to the same standard and has the same expectations for you.,” Caruso said. “If you're going to be out there, you're out there because he trusts you to get the job done.”
That trust has been obvious in the way Oklahoma City has leaned on Caruso over the past two seasons, especially when the games have mattered most. He’s become a postseason fixture for the Thunder and a player the fan base has embraced.
Still, Caruso isn’t assuming his next role will look exactly like the last one. With the roster changing and the season still ahead, he’s preparing for whatever comes.
“I think I've played pretty well in the last two postseasons, and that's been good for me and the team,” Caruso said. “But this year might be different.
You can't script it. You don't know what's going to happen.
“I'm kind of just, you know, just ready for whatever role I have to take. That's kind of how I've always been as a player, and that will probably be the same this year.”
In Other News...
Isaiah Hartenstein Just Added Fuel To A Thunder Knicks Finals Dream
Isaiah Hartenstein has only been with Oklahoma City since leaving New York, but he still has a close enough connection to the Knicks to make any conversation about their rise feel personal. The veteran center spent two seasons in Manhattan from 2022 to 2024, and he recently reflected on the Knicks championship run, a stretch that confirmed they are no longer just a feel-good East Coast story but a genuine title force.
For Thunder fans, the bigger picture is hard to miss. Oklahoma City and New York are already being viewed as popular contenders for the 2026-27 season, and the idea of those two teams meeting on the NBAs biggest stage is beginning to sound less like wishful thinking and more like a storyline with real legs. Hartensteins perspective only adds to the intrigue, even if the full connection between his past and Oklahoma Citys future is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
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Thunder Fans Already Have One Starting Lineup Debate To Watch
The Thunder spent the offseason trimming salary in a major way, moving Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe in separate cost-saving deals that cleared out $240 million in luxury tax. Those moves did more than reshape the financial picture. They also created a real opening in the starting lineup, and at media day the two names mentioned most often as possible replacements were Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Both players treated the job conversation like a detail, not a referendum, but the staff clearly has a decision to make before the rotation is set. Mark Daigneault said Wallace already has plenty of starting experience, while stopping short of naming a lineup, which only keeps the focus on how Oklahoma City chooses to replace that production and whether the answer comes from a familiar face or a newer one. [Read more 🡒]