Alex Caruso sends a clear message on Thunder’s strategy at the American Century Championship originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Stateline, NV – The Oklahoma City Thunderdrafted Aday Mara out of Michigan with the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NBA draft and later re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. With these moves, OKC became a long and tall team. That should make them dangerous this coming winter.
Alex Caruso believes the Thunder’s versatility and depth will be a major plus this coming season. I got the chance to ask Caruso about his team while catching him coming off the 18th hole.
“Yeah, just versatility, you know? Having depth at that position (center) is big; at every position, I think we’ve got two really good guards, wings, and bigs. And you never know what will happen during the season, so just having guys who can play…It’s always good,” Caruso told me.
Last year, when I spoke to Caruso at the 2025 American Century Championship, he celebrated OKC’s continuity after coming off a seven-game NBA Finals triumph.
“It’s the challenge of winning, having the target on your back. Obviously, great to have the same team back. That’s what makes it a little easier to start off the season, knowing everybody and kind of how you want to play. So by no means will it be easy, right? You’ll have the target on your back. Everyone’s coming for you, but it’s part of the challenge,” Caruso said.
The target is no longer on the Thunder’s back, having lost in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs. Still, Caruso certainly likes the continuity heading into the 2026-27 season, which includes re-signing Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams.
The only loss OKC had was Branden Carlson, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. Running a great team back is always a good thing.
Especially one as physically gifted and deep as the 2026-27 roster is.
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