Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder will return mostly the same roster, new challenges will emerge. The top being how they handle being the reigning NBA champion. It’s new territory for about everybody on the roster. Key word there is ‘about.’

Like he was the only player to have a ring last season, Alex Caruso is the only player who’s been in this situation before. After the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship, they suffered a Round 1 exit in the 2021 NBA playoffs.

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The Thunder hosted 2025-26 Media Day on Monday. Only three months have passed since they won the Larry O’Brien trophy, but a short offseason is a price any NBA franchise would pay to drop a banner.

Of course, the biggest question Caruso asked was about his memories as a defending NBA champion. He complimented the Thunder for being cognizant of the upcoming challenges that come with that tag. Expect the rest of the league to throw their best punch at them.

“I think if we didn’t acknowledge that it will be a little different this year, you’d probably be a little naive and put yourself behind the 8 ball,” Caruso said. “But, yeah, playing with a target on your back this year. I think there was a lot of times last year even through our dominance through the regular season that people kinda overlooked it and were just, like, ‘All right, let’s wait and see how it pans out when it matters.'”

You can argue that Caruso’s hunch was right. All of last season, you always heard about NBA insiders who said that opposing front offices weren’t scared of the Thunder. Heck, you didn’t even need to read the whispers. Draymond Green flat-out said it on his podcast when he said their postgame antics softened their public perception.

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Now, things will be different. The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions. That gives you enough cache to be viewed as a serious contender. To the point that folks will always give you the benefit of the doubt until you prove them wrong.

“I think proving it in the playoffs and winning the championship solidifies that a little bit, at least in the basketball community, as far as like how you prepare for somebody, maybe the respect you give them on any given night,” Caruso said. “So that will be different regardless of whether we want it to be the same or normal.”

That will be the biggest storyline to follow for the Thunder. They dominated the entire league last season, but will that continue when teams circle their dates against OKC? It remains to be seen. Either way, that’s out of their control.

“Our routine won’t change,” Caruso said. “But we have to have the self-awareness and acknowledge that playing with the target on your pack as the defending champions is different.”

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Alex Caruso on how being the reigning NBA champion will be different