Alex Caruso
#9SG · Oklahoma City Thunder
All-Defensive 2nd Team '24All-Defensive 1st Team '23
Height
6'5"
Weight
186 lbs
Age
32
College
Texas A&M
Experience
8 yrs
C+
B+
B
B
N/A
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The Verdict on Alex, in One Read
On the field, Alex Caruso grades out as a strong SG for Oklahoma City Thunder (B Impact). That places him 40th of 147 graded shooting guards. In his on-court role, the grade is strong (B Role), reflecting how he produces relative to others at his position. The contract is harder to defend: the Contract Value Index calls it fairly priced (C+), with the cost outrunning the output. The public read is positive (B+ Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score.
Career StatsB-
| Year | Team | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career |  | 473 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 42.3% | 36.5% | 76.2% |
| 2025-26 | | 56 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
Performance Grade by Season
PeakBLongevityLong CareerRecentB
| Season | Team | GP | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | | 56 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 42.3% | B- B- |
| 2024-25 | | 54 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 44.6% | B B |
| 2023-24 |  | 71 | 10.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 46.8% | B+ B+ |
| 2022-23 | | 67 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 45.5% | B- B- |
| 2021-22 | | 41 | 7.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 39.8% | B- B- |
| 2020-21 |  | 58 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 43.6% | C C |
| 2019-20 | | 64 | 5.5 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 41.2% | C- C- |
| 2018-19 | | 25 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 44.5% | C C |
| 2017-18 | | 37 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 43.1% | D D |
Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.
Recent Games
| Date | OPP | Result | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3PT | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 5/31 | vs SAS | L 103-111 | 39 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3-14 | 1-6 | -5 |
| Fri, 5/29 | @ SAS | L 91-118 | 21 | 7 |
Current Contract
Length
4 years
Total Value
$81.1M
Guaranteed
$37.7M
AAV
$18.1M/yr
Guaranteed %46%
Contract Value Index (CVI)
C+
Fair Value
OverpayFair ValueGreat Value
The C+ Contract Value Index on Alex Caruso's deal stems from how production lines up against the cap hit. At $18.1M AAV across four years, Caruso carries a significant salary burden for a player whose 2025-26 output—6.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG across 56 games—reads as genuine role-player material on the offensive end. That's not a criticism; it's the structural reality the Thunder accepted when they brought in an established veteran, and it creates a natural tension: Caruso's two consecutive All-Defensive Team selections (1st Team in 2023, 2nd Team in 2024) cement his standing as a premier perimeter defender, but defensive excellence alone doesn't typically command an $18M annual salary in a modern NBA market where wing depth remains plentiful. His B- performance grade reflects that honest box-score disconnect—the shoe-block moment and his infectious blue-collar reputation have legitimately boosted his public profile, but the underlying counting stats are what they are. What saves the CVI from bottoming out is context: Caruso is an established veteran in his ninth season operating at championship-caliber positional defense on a 64-win, No. 1-seeded contender, and that playoff-window environment does lend some structural justification to a four-year commitment, even if the outer years of the deal carry real risk as he enters his mid-to-late thirties. The downward trend in CVI over the last month—from B- to C+—suggests the market is quietly pricing in diminishing returns, a reasonable concern for a defensive specialist whose value is inherently fragile as age catches up.
Performance Analysis
B-
#40 of 147 Shooting Guards
Contracts in the Same Value Band
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Alex's contract sits relative to comparable money.
How Alex Compares at the Position
Alex Caruso ranks 40th of 147 graded shooting guards by performance. That slots Alex between Miles McBride (B-) just ahead and Marcus Smart (C+) just behind.
Graded higher
Miles McBrideNew York KnicksB-Jalen GreenPhoenix SunsB-Sam MerrillCleveland CavaliersB-Alex CarusoB-
Graded lower
Marcus SmartLos Angeles LakersTransaction History
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About this player
Alex Caruso is a veteran in his 8th NBA season listed at SG for the Oklahoma City Thunder. FanVerdicts covers every NBA player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on Alex Caruso, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index C+, Performance B-, Sentiment B+.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when NBA game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
For league-wide context, the NBA hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The NBA player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.