After four games at Summer League, the Lakers organization has seen enough from Alex Caruso to sign him to the first two-way contract in team history.
Under this type of contract — which is being implemented in the NBA this season — Caruso will be able to split time with the Los Angels Lakers and their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
He can spend up to 45 days with the parent club, excluding time before South Bay’s training camp and after its season.
Caruso earned this opportunity with an impressive all-around showing in Las Vegas, where he is averaging 6.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.2 minutes for the Summer League squad.
He rose the occasion on Monday against Sacramento. With Lonzo Ball sidelined by a sore groin, Caruso stepped in and starred, putting up 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine assists, four rebounds and four steals.
The 23-year-old has shown capable of using his 6-foot-5, 181-pound frame against fellow point guards, particularly when bowling through the paint.
Even more so than his size, Caruso uses his intellect to his advantage. He has shown a knack for making correct decisions in pick-and-rolls, as well as firing the occasional skip pass to an open shooter.
He has also displayed a nose for the ball defensively, coming up with game-changing plays.
But that’s nothing new to those who have followed him in the NBA G League.
Caruso — who was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s training camp last year — will likely spend the majority of his time with the South Bay Lakers, who have turned a conference foe into their point guard of the present.
Playing for the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue last season, Caruso led the league in steals with 108. He also averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals while splashing 40.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Prior to going pro, the College Station native played at Texas A&M, where he remains the school’s all-time leader in both assists and steals.