Chet Holmgren Calls Alex Caruso Thunder's 'GOAT' After Win vs. Pacers in NBA Finals G2

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren referred to teammate Alex Caruso as the team's "GOAT" following a Game 2 win against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

“He’s one of those guys who you know is going to bring it every single night," Holmgren said, per Thompson. "Whether he’s 22 or 30, doesn’t matter. He’s going to bring it. I feel like, as a collective, we really feed off of that. Then also his ability to kind of process things that are happening out there and relay it and communicate it to everybody else is really important for us."

“Hopefully that doesn’t fade away as the years go on," Holmgren jokingly added.

Caruso finished with 20 points in 27 minutes off the bench during Oklahoma City's 123-107 victory over Indiana on Sunday, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc.

The Thunder acquired the 31-year-old in a June 2024 trade with the Chicago Bulls, sending guard Josh Giddey to Chicago in return.

Caruso has established himself as one of the league's top perimeter defenders, earning All-Defensive honors in both 2023 and 2024. He didn't meet the NBA's 65-game rule to qualify for the team in 2025.

Still, he served as a key piece on an Oklahoma City squad that compiled the best defensive rating in the association (via NBA.com).

Caruso averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 19.3 minutes per game during the regular season.

He's stepped up for the Thunder in the postseason as well, recording 9.6 points and 1.7 steals per game on 46.0/41.6/80.0 shooting splits during their run to the NBA Finals. Caruso also owns the second-best net rating among all players in the playoffs (via NBA.com).

As the veteran looks to help the Thunder build upon a Game 2 win with the series now tied 1-1, he received high praise from Holmgren.