Los Angeles Lakers: Which players deserve to be in the guard rotation?
Starting point guard
The starting point guard position for the Lakers is a four-player race.
Avery Bradley is an aggressive defender who has the speed and agility to keep up with the fastest point guards in the league. On offense, he’s a decent 3-point shooter who doesn’t bring much else to the table.
Rajon Rondo’s energy on defense rises and falls like the tide, but at age 33, even when he gives max effort, he’s not capable of corralling the top offensive point guards in the NBA. Offensively, he’s a great playmaker who sees plays developing before nearly every other player in the NBA. Plus, his 3-point shot has improved.
Alex Caruso is the best defensive point guard the Lakers have on the roster. His advanced stats jump off the screen and shout, “He’s an elite defender.” On offense, he’s the second-best passer out of this group, and he’s a capable outside shooter.
Quinn Cook is the best shooting point guard on the team. Additionally, he has all the offensive skills that a great modern point guard needs. Cook is a deadly catch-and-shoot sniper from deep, he can play out of the pick and roll, and he can hit quick-release 3-pointers off a screen. Quinn is also the worst defender out of the bunch.
There’s an excellent chance Avery Bradley will start at point guard for the Lakers, and Rajon Rondo will be his backup. That setup is wrong.
Alex Caruso should be the Lakers starting point guard.
Caruso is one of the best defenders on the Lakers roster. Last season he finished the year with the 16th best defensive rating in the NBA (minimum 15 minutes per game) at 102.4.
During the preseason, he had the 2nd best defensive rating on the Lakers (87.2).
Caruso is a lockdown defender. No caveats and no asterisks.
Caruso’s skinny for a professional athlete, he looks un-athletic, and he has the two most unflattering nicknames in the NBA (“Bald Mamba” and “Bald Eagle”), but don’t let those characteristics fool you. At 6’5,” he has the height to bother his assignment’s shot, and he’s incredibly agile. It doesn’t matter if he’s moving side-to-side or if he’s fighting through screens, Caruso gets around the court better than almost any other player in the NBA. Plus, Alex is hungry, the guy plays hard every moment he’s on the floor. His motor is unbelievable.
On offense, Caruso struggled shooting during the preseason, but look at the way his life has transformed in less than a year.
Last season during February, Caruso played a total of 1.7 minutes. Then in March, his playing time jumped to 23 minutes per game throughout 14 contests. Caruso took advantage of his chance to play, and he showcased his talent by playing incredible defense and also by exploding to the rim for several highlight dunks on offense. After Alex’s breakout month, he went from being an afterthought to an internet sensation.
If you add up Caruso’s newfound fame with the pressure he’s felt trying to make the Lakers rotation during the preseason, what you get is a player who’s under a tremendous amount of stress.
Caruso’s been pressing throughout the preseason, but he still shot 36% from deep, which is better than Bradley and not far behind Rajon Rondo, who shot 40% from beyond the arc while opposing defenses consistently left him WIDE open. Once Caruso knows his role on the squad and the routine of the regular season begins, he’ll settle down, and his field goal percentage will go up.
James and Davis are two of the best offensive players in the NBA. They ensure that the Lakers starting unit will score at an elite level.
Rondo has unbelievable passing ability, but James and Davis don’t need his playmaking in the starting lineup. Nor does the first unit require Quinn Cook’s quick-release 3-point shooting.
Overall, Caruso is better than Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Cook, and he has the exact attributes that this version of the Lakers needs badly in the starting lineup next to LBJ and AD.
Caruso will hinder opposing point guards from running wild on offense. His 3-point stroke is good enough to keep defenders honest. And he’s a better passer than most people realize, so he can also be used now and again as an auxiliary playmaker to take some of the offensive burden off of James’s shoulders.
Caruso suffered a minor bone bruise to his lower back during the opening minutes of the Lakers final preseason game, but he’s listed as probable for the first game of the season.