NBA Analysts Picks OKC Thunder Wing Alex Caruso to Win Sixth Man of the Year

One NBA media member projected the Thunder's new wing defender will add a new accomplishment to his resume this season.

Alex Caruso is pictured during the Thunder media day at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NBA season tipped off last night as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics both recorded their first wins of the 2024-25 campaign.

With the season now underway, NBA media members have finished revealing their NBA Finals and award predictions for the year. On a recent episode of The Mismatch, a show on The Ringer's podcast network, Rob Mahoney said that his pick for the 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year is Alex Caruso.

"We could get Alex Caruso (as) Sixth Man of the Year," Mahoney said. "If you're a First-Team All-NBA Defender who's shooting 40% on (3-pointers), as he did last year — we'll see — for a contender, I just don't see how you're not one of the best reserves in basketball."

Caruso was traded to Oklahoma City in June in return for Josh Giddey. The former NBA champion is coming off a season where he averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and one block per game, all career-highs.

Caruso shot 46.8% from the field and 40.8% from 3-point range last year, making him a much better fit than Giddey in Daigneault's offense. Caruso should get plenty of open looks from beyond the arc playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, and has proven to be a solid shooter from the perimeter.

Caruso has also earned All-Defensive Team recognition each of the past two seasons and could earn another nomination this year in Oklahoma City.

Flanked by Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander on the perimeter with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein anchoring Daigneault's defense, Caruso is surrounded by other talented defenders, which should allow him to be more aggressive on defense.

One of the limiting factors in Caruso's case for Sixth Man of the Year, however, is the veteran's position on the team. There is a good chance Caruso finds himself in the Thunder's starting lineup too often to be considered for the award, especially with Hartenstein set to miss the beginning of the season.

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