Alex Caruso has been on a tear ever since he was called up to the Los Angeles Lakers from their G League affiliate.
With the Lakers' frustrating season coming to a close, Caruso has shined with his increased playing time.
So who is Alex Caruso?
Background
Alex Caruso was born on Feb. 28, 1994 (25-years-old) and is from College Station, Texas.
College experience
Caruso played his college basketball at Texas A&M. He was a four-year player that averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Caruso left Texas A&M as the all-time leader in assists with 649 and steals with 276. Those numbers also rank second and third all-time in SEC history.
NBA experience
Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. He played his first Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers and signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2016 preseason but was waived and spent his first year in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue.
In 2017, he joined the Lakers' Summer League team, playing a key role in leading them to a Summer League Championship. At the conclusion of his Summer League stint, the Lakers signed him on a two-way contract, becoming the first player in NBA history to go from the G League to the NBA by way of a two-way contract.
Caruso spent the majority of his 2017-18 season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, where he averaged 19.0 points and 7.7 assists per game. He appeared in 37 games for the struggling Lakers but showed improvement throughout the season, scoring a career-high 15 points in the final game of the year against the Clippers.
Fast forward to this season, where the Lakers were also struggling, and Caruso got another chance to shine at the end of the year.
He's made the most of it, averaging 12.1 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 52.3 percent shooting from 3-point land (!) to go with 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists over the recent stretch of 16 games, where he's received significant playing time.
In the Lakers' win over the Clippers on April 5, Caruso had 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, joining LeBron James as the only Lakers player in the 2018-19 season to post 30+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game.
🙌 @ACFresh21 takes charge in the @Lakers W at Staples Center, posting a career-high 32 PTS, 5 3PM, 10 REB, 5 AST! #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/I67FhEdbc5
— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2019
Skill set
Caruso is a sneaky athletic guard who does the majority of his scoring by attacking the rim. He's shot the ball well from the perimeter at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, proving he trusts his outside scoring ability.
He's a solid passer and a good defender but what separates himself from other role players is his effort and the "chip on his shoulder" attitude he plays with.