Undrafted to starting on the championship game
When you think of the 2019-2020 Los Angeles Lakers and the players who helped them win the NBA championship, you might immediately think of stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis. You likely did not know that the role player Alex Caruso, who had been coming off the bench for the entire playoffs but became a starter in game 6 of the NBA finals, had the highest +/- with +20 of anyone in the final game.
Caruso's road to the NBA was a challenging one. He was a four-star high school recruit who became the all-time leader of assists and steals at Texas A&M. Nonetheless, no team drafted Alex in the 2016 NBA draft. He bounced around in the NBA's "minor leagues" from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City before finally landing with the Lakers Summer League team in 2017. He was mistaken for a UPS driver there but ultimately helped that team win the championship. Caruso did not score many points, but his defense and three-point shooting led the Lakers to sign him to a two-way contract, making him the first player to go from an NBA developmental league to the NBA.
Alex would average 3.6 points in 37 games that first NBA season. He would play for the Lakers Summer League squad again in 2018 and re-sign with the Lakers. He would again play sparingly that next season, appearing in only 25 games, but would score 32 points in one of his final games. The Lakers would sign Caruso to a two-year deal, his first non-two-way contract in his career. He would play a big role in helping the Lakers become one of the top defensive teams and played a viable role in them winning the 2020 NBA championship. Ultimately, he left the Lakers after 2021 for the Chicago Bulls and demonstrated again he truly belonged in the league when he made the NBA All-Defensive First team in 2023.
Quotes
At the Summer League first practice, one of the coaches called me over and said, ‘Who gave the UPS guy a jersey?
Nick Mazzella
He took on a leadership role that most two-way guys don’t normally do,...I’ve played with players on a call-down who were like, Why am I here? AC was never like that.
Andre Ingram
References
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Tracing Alex Caruso's journey from being a G league player to becoming an NBA champion
Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft as a senior out of Texas A&M University. He then played with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Summer League before signing with the OKC Thunder on Sept. 22, 2016. However, the guard was quickly waived on Oct. 17, 2016.
Sportskeeda
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&A: Alex Caruso on leaving Lakers, chemistry with Lonzo Ball, impressions of Austin Reaves
Caruso, 27, has evolved from an undrafted player competing in the G League to an NBA champion who is now playing on a $30 million contract. As part of this evolution, advanced metrics and the “eye test” will both tell you that he has also become one of the most impactful defensive players in the league.
HoopsHype
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The Unlikely Closer
Alex Caruso is not the person you would expect to be making game-changing plays in the final seconds for the defending NBA champions. His comically large headband, retreating hairline and 2% milk complexion make the 6' 4", 186-pound point guard look more like a role player at LA Fitness than an L.A. Laker.
Sports Illustrated
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Alex Caruso: Guys get stuck in G-League because they can’t accept role
That inability to accept a role is something the Lakers’ Alex Caruso and the Pelicans’ J.J. Redick — two guys who did adapt and adjust their games to fit an NBA role
NBC Sports
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2020 NBA Finals: Lakers to start Alex Caruso in place of Dwight Howard in Game 6 against Heat
Though he didn't play D-III ball, he did go undrafted and had to grind through multiple G League stints before he earned his place in the league with the Los Angeles Lakers.
CBS Sports
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Alex Caruso Scores Career-High 32 Points as Lakers Upset Clippers in Final Matchup of Season
Alex Caruso scored a career-high 32 points, and the Lakers defeated the Clippers, 122-117, in the coveted "Battle for LA," on Friday night at Staples Center.
NBC
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Lakers Sign Alex Caruso
Caruso spent the 2016-17 season with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League, notching 11.9 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 50 games (46 starts). The College Station, TX, native played four seasons at Texas A&M (2012-16), earning All-SEC Second Team honors and was an SEC All-Defensive Team selection in 2015-16.
NBA
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Could Strong Summer League Performance Help Propel Alex Caruso To An NBA Opportunity?
Although Caruso shocked a lot of folks in Vegas, it wouldn’t be a surprise to the people that had the opportunity to watch him play for the OKC Blue. With the Blue, Caruso stood out as one of the finest defenders in the entire NBA G League, as he averaged 2.2 steals per game.
Ridiculous Upside
