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Alex Caruso

Oklahoma City Thunder · #9 · Plus starter
SG6'5"186 lbage 329 yrs expTexas A&MCollege Station, TX
5th best of 11 on OKCworth +3.5 wins to the rotation
OFF69DEF89
Elite perimeter defender & interior finisher
OKC
Oklahoma City Thunder
Western · Northwest · proj. 68-14
→
2× All-Defensive

The ultimate glue guy and connector — a switchable, gambling perimeter defender who guards one through three and tilts games without needing the ball. At 32 the scoring is minimal (6.2 a night), but the feel, the steals, and the winning plays are exactly what a title team pays for.

6.2
PPG
2.8
RPG
2
APG
1.3
SPG
0.3
BPG
GP 56MPG 18.2FG% 42.33P% 29.3FT% 80.4TS% 54USG% 15.7PER 12.8BPM +1.9VORP 1EPM +2.6
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Perimeter defense98
Inside finishing97
Rim protection91
Rebounding88
Playmaking72
Shooting64
Scoring60

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2017-18 to 2025-26 · 9 seasons
6.8
PPG
2.9
RPG
2.7
APG
473
GAMES
Points 3,205Win Shares 23.1Starts 133Best season 2023-24 · 10.1 ppg
Games played, last three seasons74%

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 29 → 31
▼Declining

Alex, at 31, is trending downward — 5.5 → 3.0 wins of value over the window.

Age curve▬ On curve
Declining about on schedule for his age.
2026-27 forecast▲ 6.0 wins (+3.0)
Starts from his player rating, which is higher than last season's total. Age takes about 0.6 wins off at 32. Range 5.2–6.9 wins.
Production (BPM)+2.5 → +1.9-0.626-27 forecast +2.2
His production has held roughly steady.
2023-24: +2.5 · 71 games2024-25: +4.0 · 54 games2025-26: +1.9 · 56 games2026-27: +2.2 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)5.5 → 3.0-2.426-27 forecast 6.0
His win contribution is trending down.
2023-24: 5.5 · 71 games2024-25: 4.2 · 54 games2025-26: 3.0 · 56 games2026-27: 6.0 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $27.5M vs $19.6M salary+$7.9M
His play is projected to be worth more than he is paid.
$19.6M salary2023-24: $20.6M · 71 games2024-25: $11.0M · 54 games2025-26: $6.9M · 56 games2026-27: $27.5M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $19,550,160 cap hit · through '29. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$19,550,160Guaranteed
9% of the club’s payroll · 5th of 15 priced deals
Runs through3 seasons
Est. market value$27,452,000 /yr
Surplus+$7,901,840
BARGAINworth more than he is paid

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.