An Oklahoma City veteran could be looking to bring some hardware home this coming season. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been no strangers to awards and recognition, as the roster has been full of players who have been some of the best in every category. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning back-to-back MVP, Chet Holmgren just placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and players all throughout the roster have made some form of All-NBA teams or All-Star teams. 

Now, as next season is approaching, Thunder players are trying to bring home hardware once again, and for some, that is very possible. A recent ESPN article asked NBA media who they thought would come home with awards at the end of next season, and Alex Caruso was at the top of the list. 

NBA insiders ranked Alex Caruso first to come home with the Sixth Man of the Year Award by a sizable margin. The OKC veteran has been a crucial part of the offense over the past couple of years and has stepped into a major role when needed. However, Caruso usually doesn’t reach full form in the regular season. 

Caruso has been a player who has seen a limited role in the regular season, but has come alive when the postseason rolls around. For instance, last season Caruso played in only 56 regular-season games, averaging only 6.2 points per game. The veteran guard would then come alive in the playoffs, averaging 11 points per game, playing in every bout. 

This upcoming season has presented a situation for Caruso where he might be required to play more in the regular season than usual. OKC has lost a couple of key contributors this offseason, as Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort were all traded. Eventually, the Thunder will replace these roles with younger players, but those players might not be quite ready to jump right in this season. 

This brings Caruo’s name up for this coming season, as his veteran leadership will be required as the season goes on for the Thunder to stay ahead of the game. This could push him to the lead of the Sixth Man of the Year race, ahead of another Thunder player in Ajay Mitchell. 

Next season's awards are a long way away, but the path towards them starts at the beginning of the season. With the way OKC’s future is set up, Caruso could easily turn into the favorite for the best player off the bench in the league.