During the mundane of a December in the NBA, months before the Thunder would face the Pacers in the NBA Finals, Alex Caruso entered the locker room flossin’.

"They come off the bench with one of my favorite teammates of all time in Alex Caruso, who is the ultimate Swiss Army knife," James recently said on his podcast, "Mind the Game." "We’ve literally seen him guard Giannis,

It seems like the Lakers were warned not to make that mistake as well by franchise icon Magic Johnson. During an appearance on "First Take," Johnson, who was president of basketball operations for the Lakers from 2017 to 2019, revealed he had told the team not to let Caruso go if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was on his way out too.

The 31-year-old has built a career off making the small plays. And those might prove the difference against the Pacers in the NBA Finals.

Cutting baseline, Alex Caruso found himself open. Isaiah Hartenstein keyed in on that with a pass that resulted in a reverse layup. The Oklahoma City Thunder kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second half.

Draymond Green delivers a major Alex Caruso message during the Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers NBA Finals.

Alex Caruso's leadership and luxury on the Thunder's bench is proving to be a massive asset in the 2025 NBA Finals.

Alex Caruso is the only Oklahoma City Thunder player with NBA Finals experience. And even he has no idea what this year’s series will feel like.