Oklahoma City Thunder’s Alex Caruso Predicted to Win 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso has been predicted to win the 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

A group of ESPN NBA experts, including reporters, editors and analysts, believe Caruso will be the best bench player in the league next season.

“Will voters value nuance over numbers? That would have to be the case for Alex Caruso to win this award this upcoming season,” Tim MacMahon wrote. “This honor traditionally goes to a player who provides instant offense off the bench. It has been three decades since the Sixth Man of the Year averaged single digits in points, which has happened only three times in the history of the award. Caruso’s impact in his first season in Oklahoma City, particularly during the playoffs, is indisputable. But he averaged only 7.1 points per game during the regular season, when he received a single third-place vote to finish eighth in Sixth Man of the Year balloting. A significant scoring boost is unlikely for Caruso during his ninth NBA season as a role player on a loaded Thunder roster.

“The Thunder will continue to carefully manage Caruso’s minutes (an average of 19.3 in 54 games last season), prioritizing the 31-year-old’s freshness for another probable deep playoff run and providing developmental opportunities for young guards such as Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topic. But there is precedent for dominant defense and contributing to a contender earning this award, going back to the first Sixth Man of the Year, Philadelphia’s Bobby Jones in 1982-83.”

Caruso appeared in 54 games for the Thunder last season. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 44.6% from the field, 35.3% from beyond the arc and 82.4% from the free-throw line.

One of the top defenders in the NBA, Caruso helped the Thunder win the 2025 championship against the Indiana Pacers in seven games. The 31-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.6 blocks in the 2025 playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Pacers.

Caruso enters next season with career averages of 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Thunder. He won his first NBA title in 2020 with the Lakers.