Alex Caruso’s role with the Thunder has already taken a steady turn downward in the regular season, and that trend looks set to keep rolling in 2026-27.
That might sound strange for a player who has become such a key piece of Oklahoma City’s championship rotation since arriving in a 2024 trade. But the minutes tell the story. Caruso logged 28.7 per game in his final season with the Bulls, then dropped to 19.3 in his first year in Oklahoma City and 18.2 last season.
Some around the team could look at the offseason exits of Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins and assume that extra playing time would naturally flow Caruso’s way. It’s an understandable thought. The minutes are there now, at least on paper.
But the more likely reality is that Mark Daigneault will use those openings to evaluate younger guards already on the roster, including Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and maybe rookie Bennett Stirtz. That makes a meaningful bump for Caruso far less likely.
His age and injury history only strengthen that outlook. At 32, he’s not the kind of player Oklahoma City needs to grind through heavy regular-season usage, especially if the bigger aim is another title in 2027.
The Thunder have every reason to keep playing the long game with him.
And that’s because the dip in his regular-season minutes hasn’t been about poor play. It’s been the opposite. Caruso has repeatedly shown that he matters most when the pressure spikes, especially in the postseason.
He was a steady two-way force during Oklahoma City’s 2025 title run, and he followed that by ranking ninth in the entire league in plus-minus this past postseason. Those are the kinds of performances that make a coach protective of a veteran’s workload during the 82-game stretch.
Caruso’s career has also come with a familiar availability question. Over his decade in the NBA, he has played more than 65 games in a season only twice, and he still hasn’t topped 56 games since joining the Thunder.
Even with that limited regular-season workload, he has not missed a single playoff game for Oklahoma City.
That pattern is hard to ignore. Less mileage in the regular season has gone hand in hand with being ready when it matters most.
So while the minutes around him may shift again next season, the expectation should stay the same: Caruso’s playing time is likely to keep trending down in 2026-27.
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Thunder Face One Chet Holmgren Dilemma They Can't Ignore
The Thunder spent the offseason making their center room deeper and more complicated, a sign of how much the organization values having options around Chet Holmgren. Isaiah Hartenstein is back, Aday Mara arrived in the draft, and Thomas Sorber is entering the mix after a lost year, giving Oklahoma City a group that looks built as much for the future as for the present.
Mark Daigneault now has to sort out how those minutes get divided without shortchanging development or sacrificing the kind of stability a contender wants from the middle of the floor. Holmgrens versatility makes him the swing piece in all of it, and the Thunder are clearly preparing to rotate through several looks while figuring out which combinations can survive the regular season and which ones make the most sense long term. [Read more 🡒]