The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, but one player that looked really good was Alex Caruso.
It has not been a good preseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. With a 1-4 record through five games, the Lakers have not been able to carry over that winning mentality from the Summer League into the preseason.
One of the problems for the Lakers in the preseason has certainly been their health. Brook Lopez, who is arguably their best player missed the first three games of the preseason because of a back issue. In addition to the injury to Lopez, point guard Lonzo Ball has also now missed three games with a sprained ankle.
Missing two starters for multiple games certainly makes it understandable why the Lakers’ win-loss record in the preseason isn’t all that good. However, those injuries have presented other players with opportunities to showcase what they can do.
Against the Jazz, it was Alex Caruso who stepped up and had a big game for the Lakers off the bench. With Ball out, Tyler Ennis got the start at point guard, however, it was Caruso who really shined.
In the loss, Caruso was able to total 10 assists, six rebounds, and four points in 32 minutes of action. Caruso did an excellent job running the offense for the Lakers, as he only turned the ball over three times, making for a good assist to turnover ratio. Considering that Caruso saw a lot of minutes against Ricky Rubio, this was certainly a good game for him.
With Caruso being on a two-way contract this season for the Lakers, we will likely see him in Los Angeles eventually. However, he is poised to do some great things in the G-League if he plays like he did against the Jazz.
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The Lakers only have one preseason game left to play before the regular season starts. Since there is a chance that Ball will miss that final game, it will be interesting to see if Walton gives Caruso some extended minutes over Ennis once again.