West Notes: Thunder, Alex Caruso, Mavs, Suns, Tyus Jones

Thunder

Veteran guard Alex Caruso should be a great match for the Thunder, who sit at No. 1 in the Western Conference in the NBA.com offseason power rankings.

“Caruso appears to be a great fit, given that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams will be doing most of the ballhandling,” wrote John Schuhmann of NBA.com. “The Thunder led the league in the percentage of their 3-point attempts (80%) that came off the catch and he shot 40.6% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season. With his menacing defense, the Thunder will be the favorite to lead the league in opponent turnover rate for a second straight year.”

• Caruso was such a great acquisition that, word is, several West GMs were upset with the Bulls for trading him to the Thunder. No, seriously. We have that full story here.
• Landin center Isaiah Hartenstein should also offer a major boost. “Whether starting alongside Chet Holmgren or off the bench, Hartenstein is a top rim protector and offensive rebounder who also can distribute from the high post,” wrote Kevin Pelton of ESPN.

Mavericks

Defense will be the name of the game if the Mavericks are hoping for a return trip to the Finals, Schuhmann suggested.

“(It) will be fascinating to see how well this team defends with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson all on the floor together,” Schuhmann wrote.

Offense? Well, that again should not be a problem in Dallas.

“Thompson should get plenty of open looks in this offense, though,” Schuhmann wrote. “His catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage of 39.2% over his three post-injury seasons is lower than it was in the three seasons prior (43.0%), but still strong and likely to earn the respect of opposing defenses.”

• The Mavs earned a “B” grade for their offseason moves from ESPN. We have that full post here.

Suns

While Tyus Jones lasted a little longer than expected in free agency, he may be the perfect fit for the Suns.

“Jones was an incredible pick-up on a minimum contract, and he can help them on both ends of the floor,” Schuhmann wrote. “Not only has he led the league in assist/turnover ratio in each of the last six seasons, but he’s one of two players — Jimmy Butler is the other — that have had more steals than personal fouls in each of the last six. Most important may be taking some of the playmaking burden off Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, allowing those guys to be better on both ends of the floor.”

• In case you missed it, the Suns’ CEO reiterated that Kevin Durant is not looking to leave Phoenix. We have that full story here.