Alex Caruso Named 2 Ways & 10 Days G League Defensive Player Of The Year

Second-year G League veteran helped lead South Bay Lakers to postseason with excellent defensive play

Alex Caruso has put his stamp on the NBA and G League in his second go-round with the league. Playing for the Oklahoma City Blue last season, Caruso signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Lakers and shined in South Bay this season.

In 29 games with the club, the team went 20–9 with Caruso averaging 19 points to go with 3.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers finished the season with the sixth seed and a 28–22 record. It’s easy to see what sort of impact Caruso had with this team when he was on the floor.

But it is his defense that put him over the top. The South Bay squad had the sixth-fastest pace this past season (105.77) but he was still able to put in the effort.

Caruso had a net-rating of 9.7. The team comparatively only had a 3.5 net rating on the season. He had a meaningful impact as well with 2.1 steals per game, fifth best in the G League this past year.

I had to double check his numbers from February, but in five games with South Bay he tallied a net-rating of 25.3 as the Lakers went 5–0 in those games with Caruso.

He is a perfect example of the value a two-way player can have for both teams. He provides stability for both clubs, he can serve as a defensive leader with the G League team, and then have an opportunity to showcase his talents on a rebuilding team like Los Angeles.

The South Bay Lakers will return to the court on Saturday as they take on the Oklahoma City Blue at 5:15PM ET on ESPNews.