The OKC veteran might need to be thrown into a new role next season for the Thunder to succeed. The Oklahoma City Thunder have gone through quite the transformation this offseason, as their roster looks very different going into next year. With the Thunder having to trade away Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to help deal with salary issues, there are multiple roles that will have to be filled as next season gets underway. Luckily, Oklahoma City has more than enough skill to do the job. OKC is known as one of the deepest rosters in the league; even with the loss of these three guards, the Thunder have plenty of assets to be one of the deepest teams in the league. Many players will have to step up to help fill these roles, and it might bring Alex Caruso further into the rotation than he has been in past years. Caruso is a key piece in the Thunder’s big plan of winning another championship. He came up clutch in the Western Conference Finals, as he was one of the main reasons that the sereis even went to seven games. However, OKC uses the experienced guard much differently in the regular season. The Thunder use Caruso cautiously by limiting his minutes, as they want to make sure he is there to lead in the playoffs, but now that luxury isn’t the same. With three backcourt members gone from the rotation, Caruso might see his talents used in everyday play for OKC’s regular season stretch. This wouldn’t be a bad thing, as OKC is looking to grab the best record in the league once again, and Caruso is someone who definitely makes the Thunder better. Yes, guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and more have been able to get a majority of the job done in years past, but Caruso is the perfect player to step up and help the young players grow while contributing in the process. Ultimately, Caruso’s 18.2 minutes per night could easily be north of 20 minutes per game next year, especially if a game is on the line. The Thunder are still in a great position to take the league by storm once again, even without some players who were a bigger part of the rotation. However, now, Oklahoma City will need veteran players to get out of their comfort zone and give it their all in the regular season, instead of just in the postseason. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow