Alex Caruso has always been known for his honesty and basketball IQ, but his latest comments about the Oklahoma City Thunder sent a message that felt bigger than just confidence, it felt like a warning. Appearing on the Young Man and Three podcast alongside teammates Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace, the veteran guard delivered what can only be described as a chilling statement about the Thunder’s potential to become the NBA’s next great dynasty.
“You talked about teams improving and teams changing, teams getting better. I think we can get better, and I think that’s scary for the rest of the league. Just from the fact of how good we were last year, saying out loud that we can improve and there are ways we can get better, that’s what we chase.”
“And then there’s the dynamic of young guys, he hasn’t made an All-Defensive Team yet, I’m sure he wants to and probably will. He just got paid on his first contract and wants to get to a second contract. As a young player in the league, you have goals and wants, and that filters into how you play as well.”
“Obviously, we have a good team and we want to win a championship, but there are also individual accolades, check marks, benchmarks to hit that a lot of the guys on the team want to reach. There’s some intrinsic motivation from guys to accomplish certain things individually, while the collective keeps moving in one motion.”
Coming from a player who’s been part of a championship team before, that’s not just optimism; it’s experience speaking. Caruso knows what a title-winning culture looks like, and he clearly sees it in Oklahoma City. The Thunder, last season’s champions and the youngest team in the league, have opened the new campaign 3-0 and look every bit like a squad ready to run it back.
It’s that blend of personal ambition and collective purpose that makes the Thunder so dangerous. They’re not just talented, they’re hungry. Players like Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams are still early in their careers, each with something to prove.
Chet Holmgren, already a defensive anchor and a stretch big unlike anyone in the league, continues to evolve. And at the center of it all is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has picked up right where he left off, averaging a blistering 40 points, six rebounds, and five assists while shooting 52.7 percent from the field.
The scariest part? The Thunder aren’t even fully healthy. All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, a cornerstone of their two-way attack, has yet to make his season debut. When he returns, Oklahoma City will regain one of the best defensive wings in basketball, adding even more length, speed, and scoring versatility to an already elite lineup.
Caruso’s message carries weight because it comes from inside the locker room from a player who’s felt the energy firsthand. He’s not hyping a contender; he’s describing a machine that’s only beginning to understand its own power. The Thunder aren’t just good, they’re ascending.
And as Caruso put it, the fact that they can still improve after winning it all should terrify the rest of the NBA.
