Facing the Warriors with 5 steals in 15 minutes, the Thunder Super Gate is still the league s top defender

In the previous NBA regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder at home defeated the Golden State Warriors 126-102. After this game, the Thunder, which has won three consecutive games, has improved its record to 11 wins and 1 loss, continuing to hold the top spot in the Western Conference. The Warriors, who have lost three of the last four games, have dropped to 6 wins and 6 losses, and their ranking has also dropped to 9th in the Western Conference.

In this game, the performance of the Thunder's substitute perimeter gatekeeper Alex Caruso (Alex Caruso) was still very outstanding. Caruso played 15 minutes and 16 seconds, making 3 of 6 shots and 2 of 3 from beyond the three-point line. He scored 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. He also had 3 turnovers and 1 foul. His plus-minus reached a game-high +25. Caruso still didn't take too many shots on the offensive end, but he still hit two three-pointers. He was also able to play a role in passing, proving that he can still display some characteristics on the offensive end. The most important thing is that Caruso's performance on the defensive end is remarkable. He sent a lot of steals and posed a huge threat to his opponents. Caruso's influence on the game is really great. He actually doesn't play much time, but his plus-minus value reaches a game-high +25, which is enough to show how much of a positive impact he has on the team.

In the NBA regular season last season, Caruso was affected by injuries in 82 games and played a total of 54 times. The average playing time reached 19.3 minutes per game, and the average data per game was 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, 0.7 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. The shooting percentage was 44.6%, the three-point shooting percentage was 35.3%, and the free throw percentage was 82.4%. In the playoffs, Caruso averaged 24.1 minutes per game in the first 22 games. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also had 0.9 turnovers and 2.7 fouls. He shot 45.3% from the field, 41.2% from the three-point range, and 79.5% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Caruso has played a total of 8 times in the first 12 games, averaging 20.6 minutes per game, averaging 6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.4 blocks, 1 turnover and 0.9 fouls. He shot 35.6% from the field, 34.4% from the three-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line.

Caruso actually doesn't have much playing time this season, and his role on the court is also relatively limited, but we can also feel his value. Caruso's ability to have such a high number of steals in such a short playing time is enough to show that he is the league's top defender. The Thunder have a large number of players who can enter the rotation, so it is reasonable for them to control Caruso's playing time during the regular season. The regular season is just a small test for Caruso, and the playoffs are his real stage.