Caruso will begin his tenure with the Thunder following an offseason trade from the Bulls, coming off a career-best year in which he ended as the 50th-ranked player in nine-category formats. His numbers across the board represented career-high marks, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers in 28.7 minutes per game. Caruso lands in Oklahoma City having built a reputation as one of the best wing defenders in the league. Already arguably the best team in the Western Conference, the Thunder will look to Caruso to guard the opponent's best player on a nightly basis. He will likely slide in as the starting two-guard alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, playing close to 30 minutes per night. Health has been an issue in the past, although Caruso has played in 67 and 71 games in each of the past two seasons. If he can stay on the floor, Caruso should be able to maintain mid-round value thanks to his defensive output and ability to spread the floor. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $36.98 million contract with the Bulls in August of 2021. Traded to the Thunder in June of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Alex Caruso was born in College Station, Texas, to Mike and Jackie Caruso. His dad Mike played basketball for Creighton. He has two sisters, both of whom attended Texas A&M. Caruso grew up around the Texas A&M program, spending many seasons as a ball boy for the Aggies. He attended A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, where he played basketball under head coaches Rusty Segler and Rick German. In his senior year, Caruso averaged 18 points and nine rebounds and led his team to the postseason. He was named TABC All-Regional, All-State, as well as TABC All-Star and district MVP. Caruso then attended Texas A&M University, where he majored in sports management. He notes ping pong is a favorite off-the-court activity. Caruso's favorite non-NBA sports team is the soccer team Manchester City F.C. Learn more about Caruso by following him on Twitter @ACFresh21 and on Instagram @acfresh21. Caruso began his four-year career with Texas A&M as a reserve. By the end of his freshman season, the 6-foot-5 guard moved into the starting lineup and did not come off the bench for the majority of his stay in college. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a freshman. Caruso started 33 games as a sophomore and averaged 9.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.6 boards and 2.0 steals. He scored a career-high 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists in the SEC Tournament loss to Missouri. The guard continued to pace the Aggies as a junior and put up 9.1 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals. He had four double-digit assist games. Caruso led the team to the Big Dance in his senior season. He helped the team get to the Sweet 16 by scoring a season-high 25 points against Northern Iowa. Caruso closed his career with the second-most assists and the third-most steals in SEC history. After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Caruso joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2016 NBA Summer League.
ANALYSIS Caruso didn't start Monday's preseason opener against the Spurs. However, the Thunder had an unusual starting lineup that night due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort resting. Caruso will be joined in the first five Wednesday by Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, with Isaiah Hartenstein notably coming off the bench again.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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Stat Review
How does Alex Caruso compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
61.3%
Effective Field Goal %
59.3%
3-Point Attempt Rate
61.6%
Free Throw Rate
17.7%
Offensive Rebound %
3.3%
Defensive Rebound %
11.8%
Total Rebound %
7.5%
Assist %
16.4%
Steal %
2.6%
Block %
3.5%
Turnover %
10.9%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
26.5
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Thunder Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Alex Caruso was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
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Head2Head
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2018
Caruso was limited to just 41 games during the 2021-22 campaign due to injuries. Although he played a career-high 67 games last season, he still dealt with a lingering foot issue that limited his availability down the stretch. When he was on the court, the 29-year-old's production declined overall. He averaged 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 23.5 minutes per game, all down from his first year in Chicago. The Bulls tinkered with their starting lineup last season, and Caruso got the nod in 36 of his 67 appearances. The team also opted for a smaller lineup late in the year, so he took on a starting role in 18 of his last 19 outings but didn't see a significant uptick in production. The Bulls also added Jevon Carter to their backcourt during the offseason to replace Patrick Beverley, and Carter proved capable of handling a starting job during his time in Milwaukee. With Lonzo Ball out in recent years, the Bulls haven't gotten much production out of their replacement point guards. Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu haven't shown much promise when available, so it's certainly possible the team gives Carter some chances to contribute. Caruso's availability has been a significant concern throughout his career, and he struggled to showcase much upside when healthy last season. With increased competition for minutes in the backcourt, Caruso isn't necessarily a player to prioritize in fantasy drafts.
The Bulls made plenty of splashes prior to last season, including bringing in DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball. To improve their depth, they also signed Caruso away from the Lakers. After never having averaged more than 21 minutes per game with the Lakers, he logged 28 per night with the Bulls. He provided 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 three-pointers per game. His ability to defend multiple positions and play aggressive defense made him a vital team member, but he was only able to play in 41 games because of injuries. He's never played in more than 64 games during a season in his career, and his all-out style of play on the defensive end could lead to more injuries down the road. That said, the Bulls need him to have a significant role again this season, especially with Ball still battling a knee injury that forced him to have surgery. The team did sign Goran Dragic, but Caruso will be locked into plenty of minutes either way. For those in search of assists and steals past the middle rounds of the draft, Caruso is someone to pursue.
The 2020-21 campaign was more or less the same results we have seen from Caruso in a Lakers uniform, in what would be his last season with the team. The uber-athletic guard averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assist in 21.0 minutes per game. The big positives of Caruso's season were highlighted by his improvement from the three-point line and on the defensive side of the ball. The Texas A&M product shot an inconsistent 33.3 percent from deep in the 2019-20 season, but shot an impressive 40.1 percent from beyond-the-arc last season. Caruso's defensive game shined, as he averaged 1.1 steals per game, which extended his streak to three seasons of averaging more than one takeaway per game. He also garnered five Second Team All-Defense votes despite his limited playing time. The 27-year-old's situation has now changed after signing a four-year, $37 million dollar contract with the Bulls this summer. He will be starting the season backing up Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine alongside fellow reserve Coby White. While Chicago will not need to rely on the scoring of the 6-foot-4 guard, the team's lack of both depth at the guard position and defensive playmakers should lead to a legitimate role for Caruso this season. It is hard to imagine a major breakout fantasy season for Caruso. But we could see Caruso set a few per-game career-highs based on an elevated role with the Bulls.
After a productive second season that saw Caruso take noticeable steps forward in most categories while logging over 21 minutes per contest, the guard looked poised to take another leap in his third season. That didn't materialize, however, as Caruso watched his minutes fall from 21.2 to 18.4 in 2019-20. The dip in minutes coincided with a fairly substantial decline across most statistical categories and shooting percentages. It was a disappointing campaign for Caruso, who was expected to see an increased role with Rajon Rondo on the shelf for much of the season. Instead, point guard duties were dominated by LeBron James, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green primarily manned duties at the two-guard position. Caruso's chances of seeing an expanded role in 2020-21 are much slimmer following the Lakers' signings of Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews. Caruso can be left undrafted outside deeper fantasy leagues this season.
Caruso is an explosive guard from Texas A&M University who has made a name for himself in the G League, averaging 19.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game with the South Bay Lakers in 2017-18. He played well enough to earn some time at the NBA level with the Lakers, starting seven games out of the 37 he was on the roster while chipping in with 3.7 points per game. Caruso's game high was 15 points against the Clippers. Caruso will not receive many minutes this season with the addition of Rajon Rondo to go along with the two young guards already in place, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball. However, Caruso is still young at 25 and can still gain a bench spot at some point but will have to prove himself once again in the G League.
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Officially cleared to play
GChicago Bulls
April 19, 2024
Caruso (ankle) is available for Friday's Play-In Game against Miami.
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Expects to play Friday
GChicago Bulls
Ankle
April 19, 2024
Caruso (ankle), who is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against the Heat, said that he expects to play in the matchup, Jamal Collier of ESPN.com reports.
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Likely to be game-time decision
GChicago Bulls
Ankle
April 18, 2024
Caruso (ankle), who is questionable for Friday's Play-In Game against the Heat, underwent further evaluation Thursday that revealed reduced swelling, creating increased optimism that he'll be available for the win-or-go-home matchup against Miami, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely extension candidate
GOklahoma City Thunder
September 25, 2024
Caruso is expected to get a contract extension from the Thunder once he becomes eligible in December, Rylan Stiles of SI.com reports.
ANALYSIS The guard was acquired from the Bulls over the summer in exchange for Josh Giddey, and Caruso's defensive acumen should be a good fit on the OKC roster. "I think it's clear that he fits a lot of the characteristics and the criteria that we value," Thunder GM Sam Presti said Wednesday. "We know, I think, enough to want to have him here for a really long time based on his performance at his different stops." Caruso averaged a career-high 10.1 points, 1.9 three-pointers and 1.7 steals per game last season for Chicago over 71 regular-season contests.