Alex Caruso gets a “mentally tough” declaration from Marc Daigneault mid-fall

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched by a veteran Alec Caruso enters Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks 3-for-15 from deep in his last two outings, which didn’t discourage the guard’s offense in a 140-129 win. Doc Daigneault marveled at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s growth as a shooter over the years, he praised Caruso’s confidence.

Caruso finished with 16 points on a near-perfect 7-for-8 shooting, including 2-of-2 from deep. For Daigneault, Caruso’s return effect is a testament to the self-confidence of veterans.

“He’s such a competitor. He’s such a professional,” Daigneault said. “He shot the ball poorly in the Spurs game. The thing is, he started 0-for-8, and he shot 12, and there’s not a lot of competitors who shoot seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and tough, you have to be mentally competitive.

“He knows those are the right shots for the team. He doesn’t care that the last one didn’t go in, and he just keeps shooting them. To me, wherever he was at Christmas, that’s why he’s such a competitor.”

For a player who averaged 7.8 points on 46.2% shooting, including 25.8% from deep in December, Alex Caruso helped the Thunder hold off the Hawks in an 11-point victory.

Mark Daigneault ‘stepped up’ the fight against SGA after the Thunder’s win

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has seen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s offense evolve over the years, leading to a scoring title, MVP award and Finals MVP in the middle of last year’s championship. And this season, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first to reach 1,000 after scoring 39 points in Monday’s win against the Hawks.

“He’s solidified his foundation as a player. The best guys who can score night after night, they have a fixed income that they get every night that’s easy, reliable and always there,” Daigneault said. “I think his commitment to it — his strength — helped with that, with some rebounds and some things around the basket. Then, I think he’s just getting better with his skills and (developing) his game.”

“The best offensive guys have a certain base and then they have stuff on top of that, and I think he’s starting to mold into that. I think we’re starting to see that with him.”

After finishing as the runner-up in 2023-24, Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award last season and is now in his third consecutive MVP race.