Los Angeles Lakers: Luke Walton has been impressed with Alex Caruso

The Los Angeles Lakers have been a bit short-handed in their backcourt and that has resulted in opportunities for players like Alex Caruso.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, injuries have been a major issue for them recently, but they have done their best to overcome them. As of now, both Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have been out of the lineup the past few games.

As the starting backcourt, not having either of them has certainly made Luke Walton’s job very difficult, as the Lakers lack quality backcourt depth on paper. Mostly, it has been Tyler Ennis getting the starts in place of Ball. The Lakers did try to use Jordan Clarkson as the starter, but things did not go well for him or the team with him in the starting five.

Since Ennis hasn’t lit the world on fire, the Lakers have also been giving Alex Caruso some minutes recently. Caruso was a big part of the Summer League team that played very well in Las Vegas, and Caruso’s performance there earned him a two-way deal.

With Ball out, Walton has been impressed with Caruso and has been playing him extended minutes the past few games. Here’s what Walton had to say about Caruso to Matthew Moreno of LakersNation.com.

"“We’ve been a big fan of his, at least I have since I met him for Summer League,” Walton said. “And I feel like he hasn’t been as aggressive when he’s had his opportunities with us. The last two games, I think he’s really changed his mindset.”"

In his last two games, Caruso has certainly been playing well for the Lakers. In 28 minutes against the Indiana Pacers, Caruso was able to total five points, four assists, two rebounds, and one steal. While the five points might not seem like a lot, it did come efficiently on just three shots from the field.

Against the New York Knicks on Sunday, Caruso really played well, as he totaled nine points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the win. That was certainly the best game in the young career of Caruso, and will likely earn him another shot to play big minutes against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

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If Caruso continues to play like he did the past two games, he will continue to get playing time and the Lakers might be able to also find ways to win despite the injuries. Prior to the last two games, the Lakers were winless without Lonzo Ball in the lineup. However, Caruso has certainly been a spark for the team in his absence.