2. Alex Caruso
Truth be told, Alex Caruso should already be on ESPN’s Top 100 in the first place. I must admit I was surprised to see the All-Defensive First Team guard omitted from the list, especially when looking at some of the guards that rounded out this list. Caruso has a very solid argument over his peers with less well-rounded games such as Collin Sexton, Immanuel Quickley, Jordan Clarkson, and Jalen Green.
Caruso being left off this list is even more interesting when you take into the fact that no other member of the All-Defensive Teams missed the list. Fellow First Team members Jrue Holiday (No.26), Jaren Jackson Jr. (No.31), Evan Mobley (No. 40), and Brook Lopez (No. 69) all rated very highly, while every Second Team member also either made the list outright or was placed on ESPN’s shortlist to move up into their Top 100 soon.
Alex Caruso is long overdue recognition from the media.
Admittedly, becoming a consistent three-point threat would certainly help Caruso vault up these rankings. That being said, he still hit 36.4% of his long-range attempts last season, hardly a mark to turn your nose up at. If preseason is any indication, Caruso looks to be on track to get his volume up as well, as he’s converted his 3.5 three-point attempts per game at a ridiculous 57.1% thus far.
Ironically, the only reason Caruso isn’t No. 1 on my list of candidates to crack the NBArank list next season is due to the simple fact he’s not already on the list. If ESPN wasn’t willing to rank him in the top 100 after last season, I’m not sure what else he’s going to have to do to finally earn their recognition