Success isn’t guaranteed to all players selected early in the NBA Draft. They have to put in the hard work, honing their skills with long hours in the gym and hoping that opportunity strikes. Alex Caruso is a perfect example of all these things.
Alex Caruso: College Career vs. NBA Stint
Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder are competing for the NBA title for the first time since 2012, Caruso’s story has come to light once again. The gritty guard is an excellent example of a player who entered the league without a distinguished NCAA track record.
NBA analysts Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander discussed Caruso during a recent episode of their “Eye on College Basketball” podcast for CBS Sports.
In it, Parrish immediately brings up Caruso. The 31-year-old guard might be the most surprising player to “make it” in the NBA, especially when considering how didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet during his college days at Texas A&M.
“Four-year player at Texas A&M, never averaged more than 9.1 points per game,” said Parrish. “In the four seasons he played at A&M, he was the sixth-leading scorer, the third-leading scorer, the third-leading scorer, and the fourth-leading scorer.”
For perspective, Caruso averaged just 5.5 points per game in his freshman season for the Aggies, then upped his scoring average to 9.0 points in his sophomore year. The 6-foot-5 guard did all the dirty work, though. He was an assist machine, leading the entire SEC in dimes in the 2013-14 season (5.0) and in the 2014-15 season (5.5).
ALEX CARUSO WHAT A PLAY 👀
COAST-TO-COAST AND-1 in GAME 1 of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV on ABC!!! pic.twitter.com/kXrZgg6d9a
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2025
Despite those numbers, Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, eventually latching on with the Los Angeles Lakers and winning a championship there. Now, he’s once again playing for a world title as a key member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He’s now an eight-year NBA player, an incredibly important rotation piece for the best professional basketball team in the world,” Parrish said. “He’s currently on a four-year deal worth $81 million. Relative to where we thought Alex Caruso was as he left Texas A&M, going from that to an $80 million contract, to likely world champion, and you played an important role in it, that’s awesome.”
Caruso went undrafted largely due to concerns about his shooting and athleticism. However, his defensive instincts, basketball IQ, and hustle earned him an opportunity with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a fan favorite and 2020 NBA champion.
Today, Caruso is one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders—a role he first perfected in college. His journey is a reminder that impact goes beyond scoring, and his Texas A&M career laid the foundation for his underdog success story.
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