Alex Caruso has made a name for himself in the NBA. Caruso entered the NBA when he was 23. Now he has been with the Los Angeles Lakers for the last four seasons. As a 6-foot-4 point guard, Caruso is very athletic and has a great skill set for the NBA. While Caruso is athletic and capable, his impact does not necessarily show up in the box score.
Caruso has played pretty consistent minutes for the Lakers. The difference this season is the amount of games where he is seeing action. The first two seasons Caruso played in 37 games and 25 games. Last season, which is also when the Lakers brought home a championship, Caruso played in 64 games and averaged 18.4 minutes per game and 5.5 points per game. More minutes just gave Caruso more experience and more time to showcase what he can do.
Caruso is Making an Impact this Season
Caruso may not be scoring the same amount of points as LeBron James and Anthony Davis but he does not go unnoticed on the court. The defense, hustle and athleticism that Caruso shows when he’s on the floor is now an essential part of the Lakers team. After the Lakers close win over the Boston Celtics, LeBron said that Caruso is playing championship basketball and that Caruso is like a Swiss Army Knife because he does whatever the Lakers need from him.
This is a huge compliment coming from one of the best (if not the best) players in the NBA. Even head coach, Frank Vogel, spoke about Caruso and said that “he’s certainly one of our best players… He typically moves the needle in a positive direction and you see that with the plus-minus…”. Speaking of plus/minus, Caruso is +113 this season so far. This speaks directly to Caruso’s impact while he’s on the floor.
Caruso has started to impact the game to the point where the team relies on his energy. LeBron, Davis and anyone else on the team knows what Caruso is going to bring a spark to the court. Caruso is leaving everything he has on the court and the Lakers team recognizes it. His positive impact and hustle is something that is contagious for the Lakers. Caruso has not started yet this season so he realizes he needs to be the spark off the bench and he accepts that role.
Caruso is only in his fourth season in the NBA, but he is improving exponentially. The Lakers are looking to repeat championships and Caruso can play a major role in this journey. Keeping his energy consistent, both on offensive and defense, will be the key to making his minutes count while he’s on the floor. As Lakers Nation would say, Caruso is definitely more than a meme.
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