Alex Caruso's Minutes Spike Signals His Real Value Beyond…

By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Friday, October 9

Alex Caruso averaged just 6.2 points and 18.2 minutes a night last season for Oklahoma City, numbers that undersell a 17.6 net rating and a 99.3 defensive rating that led the roster. With a teammate sidelined this preseason, his workload has already climbed, a preview of how the Thunder will lean on him once the games count.

Alex Caruso of the Thunder — Alex Caruso. Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Modest Line, Outsized Impact

Caruso's box score last season reads thin: 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks across 56 games and 18.2 minutes a night, with a 42.3 percent field-goal mark, 29.3 percent on 3.2 three-point attempts and 80.4 percent at the line. Just 0.9 turnovers a game underscores a low-risk, connective job. The advanced numbers carry the real story: a 116.9 offensive rating and a 99.3 defensive rating produced a 17.6 net rating, the best mark on the roster, built on a 54.0 percent true-shooting figure despite a 15.2 percent usage rate that keeps him a connector rather than a focal point.

Extra Minutes This Preseason

With Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Thomas Sorber and Chet Holmgren all sidelined and tracking toward an October 12 return, Caruso has logged roughly ten additional minutes a night across his last three preseason outings, well above his season-long pace. He himself is not on the injury report, which leaves him as the steady option Oklahoma City can lean on while the rotation is thin heading into the regular-season opener in San Antonio on October 20.

The Job Ahead at 32

Caruso, 32 and entering his ninth season, is signed at $19.6 million this year, climbing to $21.0 million in 2027-28 and $22.4 million in 2028-29. None of that money is tied to scoring; his 7.3 percent rebound rate and 14.5 percent assist rate are modest by design. The deal pays for the 99.3 defensive rating and the ability to guard multiple positions. The verdict for 2026-27 is straightforward: Oklahoma City does not need more shots from Caruso, it needs the same defensive number and the readiness to absorb extra minutes whenever the group in front of him is short.

How many minutes did Alex Caruso play last season?

Caruso averaged 18.2 minutes across 56 games for Oklahoma City last season, with per-36 numbers well ahead of his modest per-game totals.

What is Alex Caruso's contract with the Thunder?

Caruso is signed for $19.6 million in 2026-27, rising to $21.0 million in 2027-28 and $22.4 million in 2028-29.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.