The Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominant victory against the Memphis Grizzlies was bittersweet. They set a new club record for most wins in the regular season. But what happened in the game during the fourth quarter to key rotation player Alex Caruso doesn’t bode well for the Thunder.

The former Lakers and Bulls player went down in the 4th with what we later learned was a back injury. And soon, we got the update from the Thunder that Caruso would not be returning for the rest of the game. Caruso was having a decent showing before his premature exit in tonight’s game.

He played quite efficiently with 6 points, 3 rebounds, one assist, and one block. Caruso did all this 10 minutes before his time in the game was cut short due to injury. We are still waiting for an update, so let’s hope we can find out the extent of Alex’s injury and its recovery time sooner than later.

This injury comes as a major blow to the Thunder’s depth. The 31-year-old doesn’t have crazy numbers for OKC. But he brings some intangible benefits to the table. What are those? Well, his experience, to start. And, most importantly, knowing what it takes to win an NBA title.

But what does Alex Caruso getting injured truly mean for OKC and their ambitions of making a deep playoff run and clinching an NBA title? Let’s discuss that next.

OKC will need Alex Caruso to remain fit with the postseason on the horizon

Alex Caruso is one of the most underrated players on the OKC roster.  So far, he has contributed massively from the bench for the Thunder. But that’s only when he stays fit enough to play. If you’ve followed Caruso’s career, then you know how injury-prone he can be.

Every other week, it feels like the former NBA champion gets injured. And even though his injuries are usually short-term, they still create an air of unease around the 31-year-old shooting guard. But whenever he steps onto the court, all those fears and worries are eased.

As we said, Caruso remains extremely underrated. In his last 10 games, Alex has registered 9.5 points per game with 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. But that’s not the crazy part.

What makes him underrated is how efficient and accurate he is with the shots he takes. In the same stretch of games, Caruso has shot at a staggering 54.2% from the floor. And his 3-point percentage is also not far behind at 42.9%.

Those are better shooting numbers than Steph Curry in his last 10 games! Now, we know Steph is a high-volume shooter which does skew things quite a bit. But just the fact that we can mention them in the same breath is a huge feather in Caruso’s cap.

At the end of the day, injuries have always been a part of Alex Caruso’s career. They’ve reared their ugly heads during his time at the Lakers, the Bulls, and even now at OKC. However, given how good he is and what he brings to the table for them, they WILL NEED him if they want to challenge for the title without having to worry about having a deep bench.