Alex Caruso Ruled Out Wednesday With Yet Another Ankle Injury

Death, taxes, and Alex Caruso popping up on a midweek injury report. The Oklahoma City Thunder have officially ruled their veteran guard out for Wednesday's game thanks to yet another ankle issue.

If you were planning to fire up any Thunder perimeter defense props or hoping to see Caruso lock down the opposing backcourt, it is time to pivot. His absence shifts the entire defensive geometry for Oklahoma City and forces the rest of the rotation to pick up the slack.

"Alex Caruso (ankle) listed out for Wednesday. (via @UnderdogNBA)"

At this point, Caruso’s medical file reads less like a sports update and more like a WebMD terms of service agreement. For context, the man has racked up 48 distinct injuries over his career, costing him nearly 300 days of action.

This is not even a new genre of pain for him. This marks his ninth documented ankle injury, spanning five different variations of tweaks, sprains, and bruises. When he is on the floor, he is a defensive savant, but getting him there is a coin flip.

The Thunder brought him in to be the ultimate playoff skeleton key, the guy who can seamlessly switch onto anyone and blow up an offensive game plan. But that master plan only works if the key is not constantly in the shop for repairs.

Oklahoma City will have to dig deeper into their bench on Wednesday to replace his minutes. As for Caruso, the waiting game begins again to see if this is a standard one-game breather or the start of another multi-week rehab stint.