3. Alex Caruso
In the second half of the game against the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a spark. JaVale McGee didn’t start the half on the court. Instead, Frank Vogel went with Alex Caruso and the change worked.
Caruso didn’t record too many stats in the scorebook, as he scored only two points with one steal and two turnovers. However, his impact was felt by the team as he helped stifle the Jazz on the perimeter defensively and took some of the pressure off of LeBron James as the sole ballhandler.
With Caruso on the court, he was able to initiate the offense. That helped get James into better positions to score, as he got to work in the post to help demoralize the Jazz and put them away. Having Caruso on the court also pushed Anthony Davis to the 5-spot, where he is most dangerous, and in turn, makes the team most dangerous as well.
It will be interesting to see if Caruso gets another shot tonight against the Hornets. With Rajon Rondo questionable again, there should be some minutes available in the backcourt. At the very least, even if Rondo is healthy enough to return, Caruso should be eating into some of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s minutes.