Alex Caruso
Oklahoma City Thunder

Player Facts

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 186lbs.

Wingspan: 6'6"

Date of Birth: Feb. 28, 1994
College Experience: Texas A&M (4 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 2

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 8
Physical Strength: 7
Positional Size: 7
Positional Wingspan: 7
Paint Scoring: 6
Midrange Scoring: 4
Three-Point Scoring: 6
Dribbling: 7
Passing: 8
Perimeter Defense: 9
Interior Defense: 4
Rebounding: 6

Embed from Getty Images

JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Off-Ball Scoring

> Off-Ball Facilitating

> P&R Handling

> Special Defender

> Turnover-Forcing Machine

> Attentive Man Defense

> Backside Rotations + Rebounding

> Offensive Holes

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

*All short clips courtesy of NF Highlights & Z.Highlights (YouTube)

*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

*This page may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase
through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclaimer for more information.

Join the Patreon for Exclusive Player Profiles & Additional Perks!

Become a Patron!

STRENGTHS

Intro

Caruso makes a big impact on his team through a mixture of contributions that are not all that easy to notice. The 6-foot-4 guard combines intelligent, low-error offense with pesky top-end perimeter defense. He benefits his squad's defensive unit markedly while not taking much off the table on offense.

Alex Caruso sublimated player plaque.
Shop Caruso at
NBAStore.com >>
Oklahoma City Thunder NBA gear and apparel.
Shop Thunder at
NBAStore.com >>

Off-Ball Scoring

Beginning with the scoring side of the ball, the Texas A&M product is one of the most alert and intuitive off-ball guards in the Association.

His shooting percentages wax and wane though he can attack space well with an explosive catch-and-go towards the hoop. With that said, Alex can hit a standstill three-ball for his team off the spray-out/swing-swing.

Caruso cuts well with both scoring and passing on his mind depending on the situation. He proceeds to make good real-time reads on which switch to flip based on the defense. AC especially weaponizes his basket cuts after initially feeding the ball down to his big.

The Bald Mamba's bounce at the rim is part of what has made him such a popular figure among NBA fans. Functionally, this gives him the pop to finish solidly at the basket despite being token guard size. Picking his spots, he cleared 60% in the restricted area across 2020-2021.

Off-Ball Facilitating

The hybrid guard is a better extra passer and dot-connector rather than a play-starter. He has even short rolled and made deliveries from there over his career. Overall, he's a very nice secondary/tertiary ball-mover who has played a complementary role to stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.

Alex makes quick decisions with the ball and doesn't let it stick in his hands. He smartly passes, spots up well, cuts, and screens for others. Caruso's low-usage, low-error but relatively high impact offense lends itself to strong half-court team play.

As is often the case with Alex, the advanced statistics portray him favorably here. 2020-2021 saw him deliver more secondary or "hockey" assists than multiple prominent, higher-minute players despite only playing 21/game himself. Gordon Hayward, Patty Mills, Desmond Bane, and Donte DiVincenzo were among this group.

P&R Handling

Alex Caruso adds on one crucial on-ball element that makes him more than an archetypical role player on offense. That facet of his game is pick-and-roll initiation. Besides these sorts of actions, he can competently get the team into their offense in other ways as well.

His scoring threat here is not much of a factor but he makes sound passing reads consistently. He especially finds people well on the interior once he has punctured that first line of the defense.

It should also be mentioned that the cagey Caruso sets his man up to be hit flush by the screener which helps with advantage-gaining.

Special Defender

Perimeter defense is where Caruso is at his most valuable on the court. Starting with his versatility, he can guard at a high level both against his man and off-the ball. Positionally, he has actually spent big chunks of time on forwards in addition to guards going all the way back to his rookie campaign.

At the point of attack, Alex will fight over the top of screens tremendously well after forecasting when and from where that pick-setter is coming. He also has a feel for when to peel onto the rolling big man, keeping his hands high and active all the while.

Caruso navigates on-ball screens well to be a strong overall pick-and-roll defensive guard. Similar core principles apply when he tears around dribble-handoff-ing opponents. 2020-2021 saw him allow just 0.90 points per play for DHO-receivers.

Turnover-Forcing Machine

His stellar 4.3 deflections per-36 in 2021-2022 fails to even capture his aptitude when playing the passing lanes. Alex's instincts are great and he regularly foretells what will happen next in the play. His constant active hands and ball pressure lead to run-outs for his team.

Caruso accrues steals in several ways. He mixes in both on-ball steals, mostly during hard pursuits capped off with a back-tap after he's beat, coupled with plucks as the helper. Alex does a great job on ball-denials and when creeping in from out of the line of sight of the opponent with the ball to poke it away.

Attentive Man Defense

Alex's man defense has really improved to catch up with his team defensive capabilities. Now, he shadows his counterpart and makes them work hard if they were to get by. He often sends the more dynamic slashers into help so they don't just get a free pass to the cup.

He understands angles and remains light on his feet with standout defensive footwork. His physical strength helps out here too. 2021-2022 saw him defend many isolation sequences and land in the 77th percentile doing so.

Backside Rotations + Rebounding

AC tacks on some reasonable defensive value on the interior despite his size limitations.

Caruso's lane defense is inflated by his willingness to step in and take charges against opposing attackers. He won't block many shots, but Alex knows where to be as the low man such as in sink-and-fill (help the helper) scenarios.

Lastly, he is an above-average per-minute rebounder for his size. He uses his nose for the ball and hustle to track down missed shots decently on both ends. In his final Lakers campaign, Alex brought down an even 5 boards/36.

WEAKNESSES

Offensive Holes

For all the exciting and impact-metrics-liking things that Caruso does, he does fall short in some areas. A couple of skill areas are lacking within his defined role as an offensive complementary piece and defensive savant.

Consistent upper-30's or even low-40's distance shooting would meaningfully add to Caruso's offensive value. Teams willingly help off of him at times which stymies other actions. Fortunately, he does back cut often when his defender leaves, but knockdown shooting would allow him to stay put for optimal spacing.

Shifting to on-ball offense, he is not a dangerous scorer in ball screen or DHO actions. AC only landed in the 13th percentile for his P&R scoring in 2020-2021. A combination of middling size, a non-elite handle, and an arguably wise unwillingness to stray too far from his role all serve as reasons behind this.

A last offensive problem area is a next-to-zero isolation game. The midrange nor floater range tends to be very kind to Alex. A combo guard such as him should have at the minimum a bail-out package for end-of-clock situations. Unfortunately, he does not have many separation moves, supported by his rough 0.41 points per possession iso figure in 2020-2021.

*Subscribe Here to NEVER miss a new profile!*

Players Appearing Here – Check Out Their Profiles
bacon
Beacon Bacon

Alex Caruso went undrafted but quickly became a fan favorite during his early NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers