Alex Caruso highlights stark contrast between NBA Finals runs with Lakers and Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to make history in the NBA Finals with a roster full of young talent — most of whom are making their first-ever appearance on the league’s biggest stage. But one player who’s been here before is veteran guard Alex Caruso, who already knows what it takes to win it all. He was part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship run during the 2019-20 season.

The Thunder enter the NBA Finals with a remarkably young roster — averaging just 25.6 years old — making them the second-youngest team in league history to reach this stage, trailing only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. That youth brings energy and fearlessness, but also inexperience. That’s where veteran guard Caruso comes in.

A champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Caruso’s presence has become a stabilizing force in a Thunder locker room filled with first-time Finals participants. And as he explained during media availability ahead of Game 4, the contrast between that Lakers run and his current role with Oklahoma City is stark.

“The real difference is just that I was in my third year in the NBA, and two of those were on a two-way. So, I was still learning a lot at the time,” Caruso noted. “That was my first playoff run. That was the first time I’d been to the playoffs when we won a championship”.

Alex Caruso #4 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate their win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs. (Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)

“So, I think going through a couple of seasons in between that, losing in the playoffs, getting to the playoffs, and now, here, being on this stretch run again, and getting here, having a chance to win it,” he continued.

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Caruso’s evolution from 2020 to 2025

Caruso has since evolved from a young role player learning the ropes alongside seasoned vets like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo to being the most experienced voice in the Thunder locker room — a shift he fully embraces.

“I relied a lot on the veteran team that we had the year we won the championship. We had multiple guys 10–15 years in the league; that’s an astounding number,” he said. “Being on the other side of that now, being the guy who has had the most experience and trying to give the guys the right mindset, and the right course correction is probably the biggest difference”.

Caruso’s advice to OKC’s young roster

Down 2–1 in the series and with one more game to play on the road in Indiana before returning to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are leaning on Caruso’s playoff wisdom to guide them through adversity.

“It’s the Finals. It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to earn everything,” Caruso emphasized. “We’ve been a great team all year because we’ve been confident, played aggressive. [I’m] just backing my guys and telling them, don’t second-guess yourself, just go out there and play your game”.