BURSTThe Thunder are putting a premium on defence moving forward.
Oklahoma City has agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension with two-time All-Defence guard Alex Caruso, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Sunday.
Caruso, 30, has been one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA over the past few years, earning defensive player of the year votes in the last two seasons and was named to the first-team All-Defence in 2022-23 and the second-team in 2023-24.
The College Station, Texas native was traded to the Thunder in the off-season in a move that sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls.
He’s averaging a career-high 1.9 steals to go along with 0.6 blocks per game this season.
However, he’s taken a step back on offence in his first year in OKC, averaging 5.7 points and 2.4 assists in 20.2 minutes per game, while shooting a career-low 38.5 per cent from the field and 27.0 per cent from three-point range.
The Thunder are currently 22-5 and sit atop the Western Conference. The team has leaned on their defence, giving them the best defensive rating in the league at 103.5.
