Draymond Green Makes Clear Statement on Key Thunder Player During NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs sooner than they had hoped, falling 4-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While they took the first game of the series, the damage had been done when Stephen Curry was forced to leave the game with a hamstring injury.

There was optimism that Curry could have returned if the Warriors had been able to extend the series to a Game 6, but the Timberwolves took the remaining four games, leaving Warriors fans thinking, "what if?"

Draymond Green makes clear statement on key Thunder player during NBA Finals

Following the series, the Warriors could only watch from home as the Timberwolves fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, clinching a berth in the NBA Finals.

While the Warriors will gear up for another run next season, Draymond Green has been impressed with what he's seen from the Thunder, in particular, Alex Caruso and his importance to an otherwise young Thunder team.

"When I look at this OKC team, I actually think the third-most-important player is Alex Caruso …. I think Caruso is so important to what they do and I feel like you never game plan for him," Green said. "So, because you don't game plan for him, he comes into these Finals and he goes crazy. But the reality is, he's a champion, so he actually knows what to expect."

Draymond Green says Alex Caruso is the Thunder’s third-most important player
"When I look at this OKC team, I actually think the third-most-important player is Alex Caruso …. I think Caruso is so important to what they do and I feel like you never game plan for him. So because… pic.twitter.com/fS16aXJax2

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 10, 2025

The Thunder made the massive decision to trade Josh Giddey for Caruso in the offseason. While Giddey is a solid player, his style of play didn't fit what the Thunder needed from him.

While the Thunder have looked far from intimidated by the bright lights of the NBA Finals, Caruso brings NBA Finals experience after being a crucial part of the Los Angeles Lakers' championship run in 2020.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

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