It was evident from their 68-14 record to clinch the top seed in the conference. The majority of credit was given to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he is likely going to win the NBA MVP award<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Thunder have translated that form into the postseason as they are just one win away from advancing to the conference finals<\/a>. However, the team wouldn\u2019t have managed that without a key veteran, and it\u2019s not Shai.<\/p>\n When the OKC Thunder traded for Alex Caruso<\/a> in exchange for Josh Giddey<\/a>, many were skeptical of the decision. In hindsight, it has only made the Thunder stronger<\/a>.<\/p>\n NBA legend Paul Pierce<\/a> recognized what Caruso has done for the Thunder and showered him with praise via the SPEAK podcast on YouTube.<\/p>\n \u201cAlex Caruso, oh my goodness, he\u2019s the glue. To me, he is the stone, cold gorilla glue that\u2019s holding them together. He knocks their open threes, hustle plays, guard whoever [is] out there every time,\u201d Pierce said.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI promise you, every time I watch the game when they play, he get an open shot, I say \u2018That\u2019s going in\u2019 every time. It\u2019s gotten to the point where Alex Caruso, I feel like it\u2019s gonna make.\u201d<\/p>\n Pierce\u2019s observations are spot on as Caruso has been shooting 42.5% from the three-point line on 4.4 attempts per game.<\/p>\n Pierce compares Caruso to Klay Thompson<\/p>\n Despite essentially being out of his prime, Klay Thompson<\/a> will always be viewed as one of the best three-point shooters of all time.<\/p>\n With that said, it speaks volumes that Pierce compared Caruso\u2019s three-point shooting ability to Klay\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look like Klay Thompson out there every time you shoot. And you need those type of guys, somebody you can kind of depend on,\u201d the Boston Celtics<\/a> legend continued.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that they say, \u2018Hey, off our bench, we can depend on him every night to get us between 13 and 15 points,’\u201d Pierce concluded.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2214380404-941x627.jpg\")
Photo by Joshua Gateley\/Getty ImagesPaul Pierce on Alex Caruso<\/p>\n