Alex Caruso proved to the OKC Thunder in year one of his tenure that he's a true difference-maker when on the hardwood.
With his elite defensive skills and already established championship pedigree, the veteran served as an integral part of the club's first-ever title run.
Now, heading into year two out in the Sooner State, it seems some are predicting that Caruso's skills will become far more universally recognized to those residing outside of Oklahoma City, as ESPN is currently tabbing him as the favorite to take home Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2025-26.
Thunder guard Alex Caruso pegged as 6MOY frontrunner by ESPN panel
In a recent piece by ESPN, a group of NBA reporters, editors, and analysts, referred to as the "Summer Forecast panel," answered some of the league's biggest questions ahead of the upcoming season.
Along the way, they may have subtly slighted this historic Thunder squad by projecting that they will fall short of a repeat title next year. However, at the same time, they had high praise for the team's defensive stalwart.
During the voting process for who will be crowned Sixth Man of the Year, Caruso earned 66 points, narrowly edging the projection's runner-up, Naz Reid, by 14 points and blowing past last year's winner, Payton Pritchard, by a whopping 48 points.
Now, as Tim MacMahon pointed out in this particular section's analysis, the award is traditionally given to an instant offense, bucket-getter off the pine. Considering the 31-year-old has only seen scoring averages in the double-digits just once in his career (10.1 PPG during the 2023-24 season), this particular set of skills is far from the guard's M.O.
However, the veteran reporter would clarify that even without a significant boost in his scoring output, history suggests that the illustrious award is not solely meant for the best offensive reserve player.
MacMahon specifically pointed out that the "precedent for dominant defense and contributing to a contender earning this award" is far from a foreign concept, as he specifically highlighted Bobby Jones' win while with Philadelphia back in 1982-83 as a noteworthy example of such a player reigning supreme in this superlative category.
If there were to be a modern-era player capable of winning 6MOY primarily due to their defensive acumen, it would likely be Caruso, especially considering he just wrapped up as the top-rated defensive player in the entire league last season (minimum 50 games played) while spearheading the charge for one of the most historic defensive units the game has ever seen.
On top of this, he also placed first in the NBA in deflections and steals per 100 possessions.
Should he keep up this level of play, while the Thunder simultaneously continue their reign of terror on the less glamorous side of the ball and in the overall standings, it appears the folks at ESPN believe Caruso could wind up breaking the ongoing streak of offensive-minded recipients taking home the John Havlicek Trophy.