Caruso will play in the NBA

100,334 Views | 317 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by BobOliver2006
Yell Practice
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Best of Luck Alex. Let's hope the NBA is in the future for you.
t - cam
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AG
Don't anyone use athleticism as the reason. He is plenty athletic.
basic8
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About the "he can go overseas and make a lot of money": players from USA that succeed MUST be big scorers, as in lead team type. Really good players like Alex have been sent home because of their style of play not being score first. I think his best chance would be here, but not great odds. He's getting his shot-and good for him; he's worked for it.
LouisvilleAg
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AG
I think he will get a look at the D league. He has a lot of the qualities of Manu Ginobli. Doesn't have his quickness but does all the little things. Has a very similar 3 point shot and has done very well with the euro step. It all depends on what team he signs with.

I say he has a 10% chance of making the NBA.
A 40% chance of making the D league.
And a 50% chance he goes to Europe.
Frisco - Ag
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AG
No way.
Deputy Travis Junior
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He has a few Ginobili qualities specifically elite court vision + passing ability (which comes with some stupid TOs) and a knack for jumping passing lanes (and let's face it: they're both 6'6 white shooting guards), but Ginobili has always been a good to very good 3pt shooter and in his prime, was one of the most feared players in the nba when it came to attacking the rim. Caruso doesn't have either of the last two and isn't really close.

I like Caruso but here's reality in the nba for his potential positions. If you're not an elite athlete, you need to be not only a very good shooter but a fearless one. Caruso is not just a below average shooter, he also happens to be one of the pickiest I've ever seen. He routinely passes up fantastic looks for no outwardly discernible reason. If you're not a very good + fearless shooter, you need to be an elite athlete who can score points in the paint in traffic and smother other players on defense. Again, that isn't Alex.
Method Man
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In summation: doubtful
basic8
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quote:
I think he will get a look at the D league. He has a lot of the qualities of Manu Ginobli. Doesn't have his quickness but does all the little things. Has a very similar 3 point shot and has done very well with the euro step. It all depends on what team he signs with.

I say he has a 10% chance of making the NBA.
A 40% chance of making the D league.
And a 50% chance he goes to Europe.
Ginobli?? "similar 3 point shot"---That's not fair. Doing "all the little things" without an average shot does not pay a million dollars. But it would be great if he made it.
wacarnolds
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AG
According to Hoop-math, 100% of Alex's made 3s were assisted. So zero 3pt shots off the dribble - not necessarily a bad thing, but something you need to account for when analyzing his jump shot & prospects for making the NBA.

Noticed that Admon was 100% assisted on made 3s as well.
Method Man
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Admon created some pull-ups on long 2s, though.
wacarnolds
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AG
quote:
Admon created some pull-ups on long 2s, though.
8/21 (38%) on jumpers. 0 assisted

Caruso hit 9/27 jumpers (33%). 6 off the dribble, 3 assisted.
Method Man
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Not bad for a freshman!!!
ATM9000
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quote:
He has a few Ginobili qualities specifically elite court vision + passing ability (which comes with some stupid TOs) and a knack for jumping passing lanes (and let's face it: they're both 6'6 white shooting guards), but Ginobili has always been a good to very good 3pt shooter and in his prime, was one of the most feared players in the nba when it came to attacking the rim. Caruso doesn't have either of the last two and isn't really close.

I like Caruso but here's reality in the nba for his potential positions. If you're not an elite athlete, you need to be not only a very good shooter but a fearless one. Caruso is not just a below average shooter, he also happens to be one of the pickiest I've ever seen. He routinely passes up fantastic looks for no outwardly discernible reason. If you're not a very good + fearless shooter, you need to be an elite athlete who can score points in the paint in traffic and smother other players on defense. Again, that isn't Alex.


Caruso is pretty good at a lot of things and decent and others... 'Elite' at any on the college level? No.
Deputy Travis Junior
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Deputy Travis Junior
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I think he's got elite court vision but whatever.
Third Son
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I peg him as a backup NBA PG eventually if not right away. He hasn't stopped getting better.
Method Man
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He needs to get with Chip Engellend to have a shot.
ColoradoMooseHerd
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Comparing him to Ginobili? Come on people. Getting a shot at the NBA might be possible. But stop comparing him to Ginobili, that is just expecting a negative response. I almost thnk it is a troll to compare him to Ginobili.
mazag08
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AG
Most say he's a similar type of player as Ginobli, not that he's literally the next Ginobli in production and impact.

How about you stop putting words on people's mouths.
Method Man
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He's not similar. Part of his game is similar.
t - cam
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quote:
He's not similar. Part of his game is similar.


He tries to be similar.
GE
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The correct response to the OP is "I hope he does, best of luck to him".
Deputy Travis Junior
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quote:
Most say he's a similar type of player as Ginobli, not that he's literally the next Ginobli in production and impact.

How about you stop putting words on people's mouths.


Relax man. You don't have to be combative in every post.

If you disagree then say why and leave it at that.
ParkerAg
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Agree with OP and I hope he gets a shot at the NBA. There have been many players in the NBA that did not have near the success Alex had in college. I am betting someone gives him a chance to make an NBA roster.
Yell Practice
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He will get a shot, IMO.
AnalogyAg
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if he makes it, will be as a Bruce Bowen type. He has enough physical tools if he found the right team and coaches.

Smart players with quick hands, atketicism, and tons of mental toughness and desire - have a chance. maybe he will maybe he wont.
mcag83
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AG
Hope so
Pumpkinhead
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NBA DraftExpress's recent write-up on Caruso as an NBA prospect (posted a week ago March 30 after the A&M season concluded).

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Caruso-58733/

quote:
Caruso's numbers don't pop off of the page, averaging just 8.3 points, 5.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game in his senior season. Still, he was undeniably an integral cog in the SEC's second most efficient offense. Almost a non-shooter as a freshman, shooting 26% for 3 and 60% from the free throw line, Caruso eventually developed into a respectable marksman, hitting 38% of his 3-pointers and 79% of his free throws as a senior.

At 6-5, Caruso has excellent size for a point guard. He settled into more of combo guard role as his career at A&M has progressed (with his usage dropping to a career low 15.6% as a senior) but he's undoubtedly a point guard who is at his best when creating for others. He's an excellent passer, with his 7.0 assists per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranking sixth among DX top-100 prospects. He has the height to see over the top of the defense, and the fundamentals required to make every type of pass a point guard needs to make.

The ball never sticks in Caruso's hands. His off-ball movements are phenomenal and he reads the plays on the court in frames ahead of his teammates. He has potential to be a strong facilitator out of the pick-and-roll, where he's corrected his shot enough to be a respectable threat as a shooter.

While Caruso can be somewhat passive at times offensively, letting the game come to him to a fault, he's a little more turnover prone than you might hope considering his projected role. His handle is a little sloppy, and he can get careless with the ball at times. He loves to attempt jump passes, which put him in losing predicaments when he presumes cuts that fail to materialize. He turned the ball over on 25% of his possessions this season, which has been par for the course of him his entire career, and is the highest rate among any player in our Top-100 prospect rankings.

Playing off-ball to accommodate Billy Kennedy's roster, Caruso continued to evolve as a shooter in his senior year. He hit 37.7% (20-of-53) of his catch-and-shoot attempts this season per Synergy Sports Technology. He's a reluctant shooter, especially as the game winds down, and is far worse off the dribble than he is with his feet set. He positions his elbow in tightly on his release, which is both slow and in front of his face - making it easily contestable for defenders. Regardless, Caruso's development as a free throw and 3-point shooter as a senior offers promise to his continued shooting development elsewhere.

With the ball in his hands, Caruso is a somewhat reluctant driver, but is capable of attacking closeouts and will probe the defense when the situation calls for it. His first step is unremarkable, but he is a little more athletic than you'd think, and he has a nice shiftiness to his movements. He would benefit from increased upper body strength as he occasionally struggles to finish through contact, though his 57.4% efficiency (35-61) on field goals around the basket is solid. The efficiency around the rim is even more impressive, considering he uses his right hand practically exclusively on finishes. He's a crafty finisher, so he gets away with it at the college level. If he wants to succeed as a pro, however, he'll need to add dexterity to his game.

Caruso's a diligent rebounder, as evidenced by his 5.0 boards per 40 minutes pace adjusted. His box outs are fantastic for a player of his size, often clearing space for his teammates to grab the board, even if it doesn't show up in the box score.

On the other end of the floor, Caruso is a tenacious defender and is always communicating with his teammates. He has instances when he gambles too often, but his 2.7 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted rank third behind just Kris Dunn and Gary Payton II in our database for NCAA prospects. His lateral quickness improved as a senior and he's slightly stronger, which helps compensate when he's overmatched athletically. He has supremely quick hands that help him intercept passes for easy transition baskets. His instincts on the defensive end are great but he gets distracted on occasion when defending off-ball. His closeout technique on shooters is innate and even when he doesn't get credit for a steal, he's seemingly always in the thick of things when it comes to turnovers. He gobbles loose balls at an eye-popping rate and forces jump balls regularly.

Overall, Caruso has the size and skill-set to succeed as a backup or third string point guard at the next level. He needs to cut down on his turnovers and continue to improve his shooting to carve out a niche as a big, steady, reliable backup in the pros. Still, he's a player almost any coach would love to have and he has an impressive knack for making winning plays.

While he may not hear his name called on draft night, Caruso is easily the kind of player who could find his way onto a NBA roster and stick for a few years if he's able to catch the right breaks.
wacarnolds
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quote:
he's undoubtedly a point guard who is at his best when creating for others

wacarnolds
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AG
lots of similar comments to what has been said on this board. Would love to see him get a shot in the NBA.
Deputy Travis Junior
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Interesting write up. They made a lot of the same comments that people on this board have made.

I'd love to see him get a shot. Here's hoping at least one coach or gm is as optimistic about Caruso's ceiling as that article is.

Edit: wac, I wrote my post before I saw yours. I swear.
wacarnolds
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I've always thought you made great points
Deputy Travis Junior
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Same.

I've been thinking about it and Caruso kind of reminds me of Kyle Anderson. Not an elite athlete, but he is a big guy who can serve as the primary ball handler and he's creative on offense when it comes to facilitating. Anderson is a much more willing shooter though and overall more offensively developed at this point. That and Anderson is 6'8 or 6'9. On the plus side for Caruso, Anderson isn't as athletic.
TheMasterplan
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That And1 against UNI in the final seconds was pretty Ginobili like. That eurostep was impeccably executed.
jml2621
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quote:
quote:
Caruso is athletic enough to play in the NBA. It isn't like a guy like Reddicck is some uber-athlete. Problem is that he can't shoot like a Reddicck.


Re**** is a 41% 3pt shooter for his career. Over the last 5 years, he's averaged at least 5 3s per per game (in other words, he's shot well on a fairly high volume of shots ie without being too picky). If Caruso could put up those numbers, then yes his athleticism would be good enough for the nba.

The reason people bring up athleticism is right now he doesn't have a great shot so he would need to make his money by driving the hoop and playing defense. And in the nba that's hugely dependent on athleticism.


JJ Re**** is a top 3 collegiate shooter of all time. Caruso is actually more athletic.


Caruso will have a GREAT time and will get paid well.



...in Europe.
 
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