Is Alex Caruso playing tonight against Sacramento Kings? Latest on OKC guard's injury status (Nov. 25)

The OKC Thunder will be without defensive guard Alex Caruso. Their offseason acquisition is sidelined ahead of the team's away matchup against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Monday. Per reports, Caruso aggravated his hip injury in the third quarter during OKC's 109-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers last week.

Before his injury, the wing missed three straight games with right hip soreness before suiting up to play against the San Antonio Spurs. At the time of writing, the latest updated NBA injury report sees him listed as out with a hip strain.

While the Thunder have had a few days off after their last week's skirmish against Portland, Caruso's recovery still appears to be in progress as the report has him as a non-starter. He will be watching from the sidelines barring any last-minute upgrade.

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How has Alex Caruso fared for the OKC Thunder so far?

While has been stellar on defense and is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, Alex Caruso is in the middle of a shooting slump. The 3-and-D wing is averaging just 5.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 35.6% field, and a paltry 20.5% from beyond the arc.

Caruso continues to be a net positive for the OKC Thunder, but his dip in three-point efficiency this season can be attributed to a lack of time on the floor due to injuries and also adjusting to Mark Daigneault's system's system. However, the unit appears optimistic despite his early struggles. As a role player for most of his career, Caruso will understandably take time to understand how the offensive plan works in a team where the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren easily take a major chunk of the possessions.

The 30-year-old was one of the first trades to go down as the Thunder swapped Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Caruso. The direct swap was to beef up their already versatile defense and also fire up the trey ball percentage. After winning 57 games and taking the top spot of the Western Conference last season, OKC's second-round exit meant making a few key moves.

Alex Caruso and the Thunder have been one of the teams to beat this season and are tied with the Golden State Warriors with a 12-4 record to take second place. They face the Kings on Monday as they start their four-game road trip.