Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons from the win over the Miami Heat

Alex Caruso is moving up the rotation Lakers fans, with solid defensive play and an occasional highlight

Let’s just forget the social media stuff about this guy. Alex Caruso is not a sideshow, a crowd favorite that is an inspiration. This dude can play. He has skills and his play has turned the Lakers offense and season around. The Los Angeles Lakers are 7-0 when he touches the floor. Get the picture?

If anyone talks down on Caruso and starts spouting statistics, walk away and just ignore them. Those fans are not watching the games. Caruso’s box scores will never impress anybody. It’s the intangibles that is impressing his Head Coach, Frank Vogel.

Plays like this is the essence of what Caruso brings the Los Angeles Lakers.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1193022941732040704

One of the intangibles that has helped the Lakers is Caruso bringing the ball up the floor. It helps LeBron James and the offense. Something the Lake Show Life discussed earlier this season. Caruso and James works the perfect give and go. Caruso’s I.Q. comes into play when he sees LeBron cut to the basket when the Heat’s forward James Johnson ran past him. After that the play was over.

Speaking of James Johnson, it just wasn’t his night. Clearly.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (More on him later) grabs the rebound of a Kyle Kuzma miss and sees Caruso dash straight to the basket. The James Johnson was faced with a decision that many NBA players have to face at times during their careers. Let’s see if he made the right one.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1193019627825025025

Caruso’s operation was a success and James Johnson’s business decision made sure that he as the patient didn’t die.

The big story is that Caruso got the big minutes in the 4th quarter. Caldwell-Pope’s minutes is starting to dwindle as Caruso is gaining Vogel’s trust by the game.

Enough of the fun, let’s take a look at the not so nice.