The Thunder Veterans Could Be In For An Enhanced Role This Season

Some of OKC's veteran leaders could see their roles boosted this coming season. Oklahoma City is entering this season with a younger roster than before, as three key rotational pieces were replaced with younger players from this year's draft. Both Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz will be looking to find their footing in the NBA as part of the Thunder squad, and the team's youth doesn't end there. Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain are all still very early in their NBA careers and don't have a ton of experience in the league. Additionally, with only 14 players on the roster, the Thunder will have to call upon their two-way players to fill out the roster, two of whom are rookies as well. With so much youth on the OKC squad, the team will be looking for all of its veterans to lead, which could give two veteran guards a bigger role than usual. Kenrich Williams and Alex Caruso are both experienced NBA players who have been around the block, as Williams is entering his ninth year in the league and Caruso is entering his tenth. Both have played an important role for OKC, but not as big a role as they could have this season. Caruso has been the Thunder's golden boy in the playoffs, as they have let him play less time during the regular season but then boost his playing time when the games get serious. Williams is more of the opposite, as he plays a good amount of time in the regular season to get the Thunder to a good seeding, but isn't called upon as much in the playoffs. Both of these situations could be completely changed this year with such a new roster. Caruso could be called upon to play more during the regular season if the team truly needs him to win, as well as to train the future Thunder stars. Williams could see his playing time in the postseason enhanced, as the team could want the experienced player on the court rather than a rookie. This could lead to much more playing time next year for the veteran after only averaging a little over six minutes last season. The Thunder will no doubt be looking to develop their young stars at a good pace, but someone has to be there to show them the ropes as the treacherous season goes on. Williams and Caruso could be a prime example of this and could see their play be way different this upcoming season. This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.