The Los Angeles Lakers might not see many of their players on year-end awards lists after missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, but their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, saw Alex Caruso and Thomas Bryant rewarded for their contributions to the team’s playoff run.
Bryant was named to the All-NBA G League First Team and Caruso was been named to the All-NBA G League Second Team. Caruso, one of the Lakers’ two players on a two-way contract that saw him play in both the NBA and G League this season, appeared in 29 games, starting 25 times for South Bay.
Caruso averaged 19 points, 7.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and two steals in in 30.6 minutes per game. Bryant was ostensibly a full-time member of the Lakers’ roster, but the 42nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft spent the majority of his rookie season developing in the G League.
He played in 37 games for South Bay, starting 35 times. And while Bryant may still be widely considered a long-term project, albeit a promising one, he was one of the most dominant players in the G League during the 2017-18 season.
Bryant averaged 19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks while playing 30.7 minutes per game in South Bay, while also being named to the NBA G League All-Rookie Team.
As a free agent, Caruso’s future with the Lakers is unclear. Meanwhile, Bryant is under contract on a team-friendly deal for next season and will likely play a larger role for the Lakers if he continues to develop.
Lorenzo Brown of the Raptors 905, Quinn Cook of the Santa Cruz Warriors, Jameel Warney of the Texas Legends and Georges Niang of the Salt Lake City Stars joined Bryant on the first team.
Antonio Blakeney of the Windy City Bulls, Amile Jefferson of the Iowa Wolves, Johnathan Motley of the Texas Legends and Christian Wood of the Delaware 87ers joined Caruso on the second team.
Trey Burke and Luke Kornet of the Westchester Knicks, Walter Lemon Jr. of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Landry Nnoko of the Grand Rapids Drive, Jaron Blossomgame of the Austin Spurs made up the third team.
