Practice Media Availability | Alex Caruso and Coach Daigneault | May 4, 2025 | OKC Thunder

Practice Media Availability | Alex Caruso and Coach Daigneault | May 4, 2025 | OKC Thunder

Alex, uh just your your thoughts on Denver um being the opponent after the the layoff that you’ve had and um the preparation that you guys have have put into going up against them tomorrow. Yeah, it’s nice to have a game scheduled. Um you know, we’ve been kind of in a stalling pattern just going through practices and workouts and and you know, watching games from afar. So, we’re excited to get back on the court and play because that’s obviously why we’re here and and you know, why we’re still um still alive in the postseason. So, uh, looking forward to playing Denver. Obviously, they’re a really good team. They have championship caliber players, Hall of Fame players. Um, they’ve they’re experienced. They’ve been there. You know, I think that showed in in game seven the other night. They didn’t really blink. Um, they kind of rose to the occasion. So, uh, we’re going to need our best obviously to beat them and and, you know, we’re looking forward to the challenge. Guy like Joic, the way that he plays, they play through him. I’m sure he’s, you know, he’s seen every type of coverage. The Clippers, you know, they would change coverages once a quarter it seemed like, on him. What’s your feeling on players of that caliber and how you mix things up if you try to find something that that works and kind of live it out and stick through it? What’s your feel there? Yeah, I mean Jokic is in that tier of players. Um, you know, along with probably Shay and a handful of other guys in a league where they’re just going to kind of get their numbers, you know, uh, I’ve I’ve talked about this in the past where if you do a great job on guys, you know, of that caliber, they’ll probably get their averages and if you don’t, you know, they could go for, you know, headline stuff. So, I think the the biggest thing is just making it tough on him. You know, that’s that’s kind of his thing. And I think he’s a great player. Um when you make it tough on him and when you don’t, you know, he’s he’s maybe uh maybe the toughest coverage guy in the league just with, you know, has his ability to pass. He rebounds. Um he’s gotten better defensively as far as just getting steals and deflections. So, um we got our work cut out for us, but you know, we’re up for the challenge and I think we’re excited to to go out there and meet him head on. far actually with him specifically. I know you’ve only known that you’re playing him for, you know, today, but like how do you try to mimic what he does in this building in practice or whatever else throughout the week? Yeah, I mean, you can’t mimic it. You can just go through, you know, sets they like to run, spots that he likes to get to on the court. Um, obviously all that scouting goes into postseason play and it’s a little more in-depth than it is in the regular season, but, you know, we had nine days off from from games. So for us, I think it’s more about just going out there and trying to play our style and then obviously, you know, limit him. But like I just said, you know, he’s he’s a great player. He’s he’s going to get some numbers and impact impact the game just about making it tough and and I think playing the way we want to play. And and with a guy like Jamal, obviously he’s capable of like a 40point game like he had in that series. Also capable of maybe like 14point game, whatever it is. And then uh Russ similarly obviously a different role but there’s volatility and what he does he can bring he’s always going to have energy but the output might not always be the same. How do you sort of brace for that level of volatility and and the sort of up and down output? Yeah. I mean one thing that’s consistent with those two is you know the the competitive spirit and the attention to you know the moment. Um I think Russ obviously you all know him from from being here. He’s one of the great competitors that this game has ever seen night in night out. Um he has just a knack for making plays and uh I think he’s been a real, you know, a positive and a bright spot for them this season and in times when maybe it didn’t look great just with his energy and effort. Um so obviously just being ready for him to to match his competitiveness and his physicality. And then Jamal’s, you know, could maybe have a couple allstars under his belt. Um hasn’t got selected, but he’s played like that in the postseason. Um, I think everyone’s aware of how good a player he is. You know, they they say playoff risers, but I think, you know, he doesn’t really rise in the playoffs. He just plays to his his normal level. Um, and I think he’s he shows that, like you said, scoring 40 when he needs to and in some games reading the reading the game and getting others involved. So, um, I mean, we’ve said a lot of good things about these guys. They’re they’re a really good team, right? They’ve won a championship. All these guys are um in the second round for a reason now. And you know, we we got our our work cut out for us, but like I said, excited to get back to play basketball. You look at dealing with him is it’s some say let him score. Well, not let him score, but he hurts you more with the assists in the points. Where do you fall on that? Cuz like a Michael Porter, he’s a really good shot maker, not necessarily a shot creator, which How do you fall on that with Joker? How you deal with him? I mean, you can, like I said, you can throw just about every coverage you want at him. He’s seen he’s seen cross matching. He’s seen double teams. He’s seen single coverage. I think he’s proven that he can go and get 30 35 if you just let him try and go score. So obviously playing him one-on-one the whole game is never the option just like you know playing Shay one-on-one the whole game isn’t the option or you know any of the best guys in the league. Um but he does have a special ability to get others involved and you know it’s just about doing multiple things like it’s the playoffs. You can’t do one thing and think you’re going to win the game. You can’t just double team him or just leave him alone. Like you’re going to have to help on him and close out and play defense on Michael Porter Jr. or get in rotation on Russ or play Braun Murray. Like they’re a good team and and playoffs is about handling multiple actions. So um making it difficult on Joker and then obviously you know winning closeouts and getting on the perimeter and the other guys. Alex, when you look at the the paths here in OKC that guys like Lou and Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe who came in as kind of a flyer, now AJ Mitchell getting bumped off of a two-way. You you kind of that story didn’t end up happening for you, but just what from coming back, what have you observed about maybe the power of that inside the organization that maybe guys can look to others as examples of being able to to play your way up? Yeah, I mean, the opportunity is there. I think that’s the biggest thing in the NBA everybody wants is is a chance. Um and I think that’s something that’s unique about this organization is um you know they’re not afraid to kind of throw you out there and give you the opportunity to show that you belong. Um you know like you saw last year I Joe Wigs you know earned themselves nice contracts showed them that they belonged in the league. And then, you know, AJ’s obviously in his first year and he had a bad injury, but before that and and since then, I mean, he doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat. He just understands the game, plays well physically, does a bunch of different things, um can shoot, can score. Like, he he’s a really good good basketball player, all-around player. And uh I think that you know, like I said, the organization recognizes when you can play basketball well. You know, not not necessarily have to be, you know, the guy with the the deepest bag or, you know, a one-trick pony that’s elite, but guys that can do a bunch of different things. Um they’ll put you in the fire and a lot of times guys answer. With the rise of Christian Brown this season offensively and defensively, how good, how strong is Denver starting five? Yeah, they’re really good. I mean, they they’re I mean, they’re only playing like seven guys a game in in that Clipper series when it got down to to crunch time and and I don’t know if that’s necessarily a knock on the other guys or just a compliment to how you know how good those top five, six, seven guys are. So, um obviously that’s a big step for them. That’s probably part of the reason they let KCP go in offseason is, you know, expecting him to flourish and to kind of step into that, you know, main defender outside shooting uh role. And credit to him. You can tell that he’s worked on his game. Like that’s the thing that I look for season to season on especially young guys just seeing if they changed their game, added added anything and he just seems a lot more confident. You know, I think each time he gets on the court seems like he he he believes that he belongs more and more. So um good player for them. Obviously he’s another guy that you know you could throw in that that uh that X factor uh category for them. When when he plays well they usually play well. Alex, you mentioned the like his dub after game four. um credit like his mentality and sort of approach and aggressiveness helping him in that series. I know that you talked about Chad getting in his own head a little bit. Is there anything you noticed differently from Dub in that series? Yeah, I don’t know if Chad necessarily got in his head a little bit, but just working through frustration, I think, is is probably the best way to put that. And, you know, I think Dub obviously has been been dealing with, you know, the nagging thing on his wrist, which maybe doesn’t feel great, but like you’d never tell the way he’s out there. And you know, I think that mentality of just going out and playing and and doing whatever it takes to win, you know, when your best players are your most competitive guys, like everybody else has to fall in line and it raises the level of the team. So, um, him being able to just, you know, kind of carry us mentality wise of fighting back in the second half, game three, putting a good performance in against them game four, um, I think is a step in the right direction for us how how good of a team you want to be. Um, obviously a different challenge coming up now. guys that have have been there, been been to the pinnacle, won the last game of the season. Um, it’s going to take a different not a different but another level, another step for us to take me mentality wise, mindset wise to to get them, you know, four games out. You had mentioned this break kind of being in a little bit of a holding pattern. You had a same similar layoff right after the regular season. What was key in kind of winning this stretch here to make sure you’re ready going into this next season? What was key in that first one? Yeah, just having focus. I think when we’re out on the court um I think we got some really good days in where we had um high intensity got up and down uh you know obviously there’s a fine line of you know you don’t want to do too much but you don’t want to do too little right there’s a there’s a happy medium of of staying in shape and staying competitive and I think our coaching staff has done a good job of putting together a plan obviously the first break we had and then it was a little easier this time when we’ve had you know a trial run with it. So, um, I think it’s been good for us obviously to to have some rest, but we’re ready to play again. AC, you mentioned the the concept of playoff riser earlier. It seems like that’s something you give us some thought. Just I wonder if you would expand on the whole concept of playoff riser versus dropper and your your whole thought process. Yeah, I think you just find out who the real competitive guys in the league are. Um, guys that don’t live and die with one possession, guys that can recognize the moment. um guys that understand the importance of winning plays and and finding finding solutions uh and then just competing through it. Like that that’s the biggest thing. Like there’s there’s guys that during the regular season have enough talent to kind of get by and you know play their game and win games and then there’s guys in the postseason who are the difference between going home and staying alive. Mark, just your thoughts on Denver and um obviously the incredibly potent threat that they are. Yeah, great team. Um, great players, great competitors, team we have a lot of respect for. We’re obviously very familiar with them from, uh, the last few years. Uh, they’ve had a lot of continuity. We’ve had a lot of continuity. So, um, great familiarity. It would be a great series, uh, and looking forward to competing. With that familiarity, just what stands out about the matchups that you guys have had with them so far this season? Always really competitive. Um, always a real challenge uh, for us, you know, obviously Joic. Um, you know, his play speaks for itself. He’s an incredibly tough cover. Um, because of the way that he can activate his teammates and also score very efficiently himself. Um, but you know, really, really good players top to bottom. You know, Murray, Porter, you know, really good shot makers. And then they have some big-time competitors in Gordon and Westbrook and Watson. Um, so again, Brown, you know, those it’s a challenging game. Mark looking at the at the season series. The first couple times you played them, Hardenstein had to play the game for you guys yet. And obviously I think the last two times you guys played was relatively early in the whole, you know, chat part. Like how did that sort of change your approach to the series? It’s like um I said before the Memphis one, I think regular season games have to be taken in the context of the regular season. Um availability has a lot to do with it. There was a game Gordon didn’t play for them. Um, and then there’s there’s contextual factors like schedule. Um, the chat thing you mentioned, he was just coming back. Um, so you can learn from all those games. They’re all data points, but it’s not a direct through line to a playoff series. A playoff series is very different. You notice any subtle changes with their head coaching change they made? Um, the way they play? No, I think the the bones of their team is about the same. I mean, there’s going to be some, like I said, um, going into the Memphis series, there’s going to be some allocation differences. Like, they’re doing certain things a little bit more. They’re doing certain things a little bit less, but, um, the overall integrity of what they do is the same. It’s very difficult for somebody to come in that late in the year and make like wholesale changes. Um, so there’s there’s subtle changes we’ve noticed, but nothing crazy. That being said, how helpful is it though that you got to see a full seven game series out of them in all kinds of stressful situations? That got to be helpful, right? Yeah. I mean, uh, good data point, uh, and it gives you a great understanding of how they play against the Clippers, you know, but it doesn’t give you a great understanding of how they play against us. So, um, you know, something we can learn from, but um, this series will have its own face and will unfold in its own way. And like every other series, we got to be prepared. Uh, understand the things that are not going to change and then be ready to adapt to the things that are. What about you? You look the best player, but see like Jamal Murray’s kind of a barometer. He’s playing really well. That’s their team seems to really benefit and play their best basketball. Those two. Yeah. And those two things are connected cuz they’re involved in the action so much together. Um, I mean, there’s they’re overloaded on twoman actions with Murray and Joic. And um, it activates both of them. I mean, if Murray’s coming off, he’s a threat, which gives Joic longer closeouts back to him. Um, if you’re worried about Joic, Murray gets, you know, more separation on those screens. So, a simple twoman action um that that’s a very simple play can become very complicated when the players have the type of gravity and chemistry. I mean, they’ve been doing that for so long, they kind of finish each other’s sentences out there. So, um, they’re a huge challenge, but yeah, it’s both. They’re both, you know, very critical. Mark, I I know Russ in in recent years, his reputation has sort of shifted as he’s going to come like reserve. It felt like he helped them a lot last round, but but then again, there’s maybe some volatility in and his role and and production and uh the the output. Like, how do you sort of handle a guy that can maybe swing a series, but you know, it’s unpredictable in his output like that? I mean, he he shot it really well in that series. I mean, he really made them pay for the way they guarded him. Um, he was ready to to fire those shots and he shot it really efficiently. So, uh, credit to him for that. And then, you know, he always brings great energy and competitiveness to the game. So, um, especially when he’s off the bench, you have to account for the fact that he’s going to come in the game, you know, ready to rock, you know, and and the pace of the game is going to go up and he’s going to be trying to make something happen right off the bat. Uh, and you can’t be caught flatfooted in that way. I thought the second time we played him in Denver, he changed that game, you know, against us. He went in the game and um he really elevated their energy and really we had a lead uh early in that one. And uh I thought he was one of the reasons why they came back in that game. Is the emotion of him playing here, you know, of all places in a playoff series, like something you have to prepare for. Troll, he’s come back many times um over the years. So we’ve played against him a lot. Um, so I mean we played against him for five seasons, so it that’s nothing new. Um, but you know, we understand the relationship he has to um the organization, the fan base, everybody here and the relationship that they have with him. He’s an unbelievable philanthropist in the community. Um, this is he a place that I think he really resonates with and a place that resonates with him. Um, and that’s always been the case when he’s here, but you know, when the ball goes up in the air, he’ll be ready to compete for Denver. will be ready to compete for Oklahoma City. Seems like that the past half dozen years or so. Um there’s been a bit of a trend, you know, Lou Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, you know, opportunities that these guys have gotten. AJ Mitchell this year. just do you see a through line between some of these guys, you know, that didn’t get draft drafted highly or or were undrafted um getting their opportunities and that maybe like being inspirational to the next layer of guys that come in. Yeah, I think you know certainly you get a guy like Mitchell, second round pick, two-way initially, you know, there’s a lot of guys on the roster he can point to that started in that position or further back than that um and had to work their way up. And I think it’s powerful, especially here for a player like that, to be able to look around and know that not only can that happen for you generally, but that can happen for you here. You know, that we’re looking for opportunities to um find players anywhere we can find them, you know, in the modern NBA. That’s that’s critical. Um and so we’re always we’re looking at guys not with a skepticism, but with an optimism of what they can become. And um hopefully that puts some wind in their sales as they try to set out to do that and they see the other guys that have done it. Mark, assuming this series goes five, six, seven games, it’s very likely that MVP will be announced during the series and that one guy is probably hoisting the trophy while the other guy looks on it. Is is that something you have to prepare for? No, I mean those guys are pros, you know, and uh you know, really that neither one of them uh I know Shay a lot better than I know Jokic, but I think I know enough about him to know neither one of them are going to get distracted by that. Both of them are going to be fully invested in the series. Um and so that’s a it’s a supplement to the series. U but it’s really it’s not part of the the series at all.

Hear from Alex Caruso and Head Coach Mark Daigneault as they speak with media following today’s practice in Oklahoma City.

0:00 Alex Caruso
10:33 Coach Daigneault

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