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Alex Caruso claims OKC's second unit is better than anyone else's in the league: "Humbly saying that"
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- Alex Caruso claims OKC's second unit is better than anyone else's in the league: "Humbly saying that"
When it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder , any idea of a championship hangover is out of the question. The team brilliantly built by Sam Presti and led by Mark Daigneault is sitting at 14-1 and on pace to lead the West as the No. 1 seed for the third straight season.
That wouldn't even be surprising, considering they're the defending champions. However, the team's nominal second star, Jalen Williams , still hasn't played this season due to injury. At the same time, Alex Caruso has missed four games, as has Chet Holmgren . Lugenz Dort has been out for six.
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However, even more impressive than their record is the fact that they currently have a net rating of 15.5 points, which puts them on pace to shatter the all-time record held by the '90s Chicago Bulls , as well as their own mark from last season when they became the team with the second-best net rating in history. They're also exactly 4.0 points ahead of the second-placed Denver Nuggets in that category and one of the biggest reasons is the bench production.
"I think whoever we put out, regardless of who's in the lineup and who's out, our second five is better than everybody else's second five in the league," Caruso said. "Humbly saying that. Obviously, it's no disrespect to anybody, but that's the confidence I have in myself and my teammates," Caruso said .
"We play with that confidence when we're out there, and a lot of that is the energy we play with, the connectivity on defense, and then our ability to kind of play random on offense with Shai. But also, when Shai steps off the floor, and even saying that, we're missing some guys to start the year," the two-time NBA champ added.
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OKC's bench will only get better
That's exactly the value of this team, even without their main stars; they don't suffer much because in Daigneault's system, someone always steps up. Still, if we look at bench scoring around the league, OKC is only 13th with 36.9 points per game.
The feeling is that this number can easily rise, considering the margin by which they're blowing teams out, which logically allows the starters to rest more.
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However, it must also be acknowledged that the rotation has been shorter due to injuries, meaning players like Ajay Mitchell , who are nominally bench players, have been starting. All of that led Bill Simmons to explain why OKC's insane depth makes them unbeatable .
"Without Jalen Williams, though, and that's the part about him I don't want to say confused by, but like pleasantly surprised by, because of Ajay Mitchell being able to come in and just be this immediate 16, 17 points a game, steady offense. It's not like he's a 3-point shooter," Simmons said . "He's like a crafty guard."
"He can kind of do a Shai impersonation a little bit… If Shai misses a game, he could probably get in and get 25. They're so freaking deep. When Jalen Williams comes back, I don't even know who loses minutes. And I think it's about as deep a team as we've ever seen," Simmons added.
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OKC has shown they have the most bench depth
And that's the whole point: once the Thunder's rotation stabilizes, assuming no new injuries, Mitchell will become an added value off the bench, which will certainly raise OKC's bench production even more.
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Daigneault has even more options than last year once the playoffs arrive and all this dominance is coming in a season where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played only half of the fourth quarters so far. When your superstar is getting that much rest during the regular season, it speaks volumes about the impact and depth of the bench.
One more important thing to note – among the 12 teams above the Thunder in bench scoring, only four of them currently have winning records and none are considered contenders. That clearly suggests one thing: most contenders heavily rely on their starting five, and that's what gives the Thunder such an edge.
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We saw last year how important roster depth is in the playoffs when starters wear down and fresh energy from the bench is crucial. If the Thunder continue at this pace, it will be exactly as Caruso said: nobody will stand a chance against their second unit.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
