NBA Veteran Reveals Pat Riley’s Locker Room Secret That Gave OKC Thunder Instant Success

The Oklahoma City Thunder shocked the league when they traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso in June 2024. At the time, it looked like a simple player swap. The Thunder gave up a young guard with playmaking potential and added a two-time All-Defensive Team member in Caruso. What no one realized was how quickly that trade would change their locker room dynamic.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Thunder were holding the championship trophy. While superstar players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grab the headlines, the glue that holds a championship roster together is frequently found in the locker room, not the stat sheet. This crucial dynamic was recently highlighted by the 3x NBA Champion veteran Udonis Haslem, who spent three seasons playing under Riley.

Speaking on the ‘The OGs’ podcast, Haslem explained how Riley believed every single team needs a specific type of veteran presence. “Coach Riley told me… there should be a spot on every NBA team for a guy like you”. Haslem recalled, emphasizing that this role was vital for culture and cohesion.

Haslem went further about what front office executives miss when they focus only on stars and box score production- “What they don’t understand up top is they need in every single locker room. It’s one you can’t get rid of. You can’t get rid of in every single locker room. Most of the time it’s one of us. Most of the time it ain’t going to be your superstar”.

A challenge to teams that equate leadership with scoring, Haslem claimed that some players should not, and cannot be moved simply due to their leadership and experience.

Haslem argued that the leader who keeps a group intact is often a role player with credibility, not the star who fills the scoreboard. Pat Riley saying “Udonis is Miami,” and coach Erik Spoelstra calling him “monumentally important for our organization and our locker room”, implied the resonance of the thought process. Haslem elaborated on this idea, stating that these are the players everyone in the organization knows are irreplaceable.

“It’s one guy in every locker room that everybody in that locker room know you can’t lose,” he said, adding that front offices often mistakenly believe this person is the team’s best player. For OKC’s first ring in 2025, Alex Caruso has been exactly that- a crucial defensive guard to Shai and Jalen’s genius offense. Caruso in OKC arrived with a reputation for elite perimeter defense and tough team chemistry. He averaged around 10 points with Chicago and shot over 40 percent from three the season before the trade, and his hustle metrics and defensive instincts gave the young Thunder a support they had lacked. But what followed was simply commendable.

Head coach Mark Daigneault described Caruso as “a colossal competitor…always competitively present” and praised his ability to lead without suffocating others’ voices, per ESPN. A subtle but vital trait for a veteran on a young roster. Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put it more directly: “He’s a winner. He does whatever it takes- shots, deflections, steals, rebounds. He knows what it takes”. Jalen Williams echoed the sentiment, calling Caruso “our villain” for his ability to read what the game required and deliver it, while Chet Holmgren flat-out crowned him “my GOAT”.

Analysts tracked defensive gains with Caruso on the floor, but his biggest imprint came in the playoffs. In Game 7 against Denver, he even fronted Nikola Jokic- giving up nearly 100 pounds- and forced as many turnovers (five) as field goals. That singular effort defined his value: a player willing to sacrifice, compete, and think the game at a championship level. OKC identified the one player who could be their locker room anchor, and the dividends paid out in the form of the franchise’s first title.

The Thunder’s key to the championship

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s acquisition of Alex Caruso was a direct application of the Pat Riley philosophy. In June 2024, General Manager Sam Presti traded young guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Caruso, a move that was initially analyzed for its on-court fit. Presti himself called Caruso “the quintessential Thunder player; he is an exceptional competitor and teammate with a multi-dimensional skillset,” signaling that the trade was about more than just basketball skills.

Caruso’s role stretched far beyond the box score. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while hitting 41% of his threes. His defensive rating improved by 3.7 points when he was on the floor, and he led the league in deflections while earning All-Defensive honors.

But his true value emerged in moments like the second-round series against Denver, where he defended Nikola Jokic for 40 half-court matchups in Game 7, the most by a guard in any of Jokic’s 839 career games. According to tracking data, Caruso limited the three-time MVP to just 0.78 points per play in those matchups.

He led the league in deflections and became Daigneault’s trusted “mad scientist” piece in small-ball lineups, allowing the Thunder to deploy four-guard looks that overwhelmed opponents with speed and play-making. His presence in spacing, screening, and decision-making expanded the team’s playbook in ways stats alone can’t capture.

Beyond tactics, Caruso’s influence was cultural. He embodied the mantra “be where your feet are,” which the Thunder adopted as a guiding principle. His relentless communication and competitive focus kept teammates sharp in huddles and dead-ball situations. As Daigneault explained, Caruso “fills the space without suffocating it,” ensuring the locker room stayed unified. That mix of measurable defensive impact and intangible leadership is precisely the formula Udonis Haslem and Pat Riley described. The veteran glue piece who transforms talent into a champion.

The result was instant success. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carrying the scoring load and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren thriving as future stars, Caruso provided the veteran balance and stabilizer they had been missing. He didn’t just complete the Thunder’s roster- he was a crucial part of their championship identity.