On the floor in his debut, Alex Caruso woke up the Thunder

« We were getting ready to fight. You can see it here. (…) It was like two fights in the NBA tonight, so I think everyone is on edge », let go with a smile Alec Carusodescribing his false “entanglement” with LeBron James about the arbitration award.

On the floor his big league debut, facing his an old favorite gaming partnerthe Thunder’s replacement leader did his best to allow his team to walk away with the win, in the absence of his leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The shock that was first felt when he spoke to rouse his troops. Because the guests, comfortably leading at the break (58-67), experienced several minutes of offensive deficit in the third quarter. ” It felt like we were wading through mud; we were late, we accomplished nothing, everything we could miss, we missed », described by Marc Daigneault.

An observation shared by his player. ” We played a little with our achievements (…). It’s easy to do this time of year. The body is a little tired, the mind too. So my role as the old man and the leader of the team is to make sure that we hold each other accountable, that we play to the level of demands that world champions should have. “, says the 31-year-old player.

His best match of the season

Aside from his speech to shake up his teammates, his entry into the game had a direct impact. At the end of this third quarter, at almost the buzzer, his 3-point shot off the dribble in front of Jackson Hayes allowed the Thunder to regain the lead.

« He changed the face of the game. He is a high level player. He won titles, including with us, so his performances speak for themselves. But I found his leadership really had an impact tonight because we were against the wall and needed the match to turn it around. He was a big catalyst for that, not just in terms of performance », greets his coach.

The performance ended with 17 points – his best mark of the season – on 7/8 shooting, including 3/4 from distance. With a +19 score when an undrafted player played for the Lakers between 2017 and 2021.

« Generally, it’s not the offense that drives my offensive game. It’s more about playing hard, rebounding, intercepting, pushing in transition or finding someone. And when the ball goes in the first time, you feel good; we remain ready to draw. This is an advantage for us: if everyone on the pitch is a threat, it’s really hard to defend », term-t-il.

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.