Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel believes Alex Caruso is elite defensively
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel praised Alex Caruso’s defense, going as far as to say that he is an elite defender.
Early in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ calling card was the defense. The team was smothering opponents and making life difficult for them. However, things have slipped on that end of the court in recent weeks.
When Avery Bradley got hurt, the team’s defensive intensity dropped. Bradley is dealing with a hairline fracture in his knee and will miss a few more games. With him sidelined, the team has had to give more minutes to players such as Rajon Rondo, who aren’t getting it done on the defensive side of the ball.
With Bradley in the lineup, the Lakers are a top defensive team in the league. Without him, they have been in the middle of the pack. If not for the play of Alex Caruso, the team’s defense could be ranked even worse without Bradley.
Caruso has been the quintessential glue guy. His statistics aren’t eye-popping, but he does a lot of stuff that doesn’t show up in the box score. Having players that can impact the game without needing to score the ball is important, and Caruso does that.
In the Lakers’ come from behind victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Caruso took only one shot but finished with a team-high +23 plus/minus ratio. A big reason for that was his performance defensively, which Vogel recently praised when talking to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.
"“Caruso is a star defender. I think he’s elite. When you study him on tape or just watch him in summer workouts, you see he has pretty good feet and good length. But there are a lot of 6’5″ defenders that you think should be great defenders cause they’re long, but they’re not good defenders. But Alex is. He has great instincts and that’s the biggest thing with him.”"
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Caruso’s size allows him to defend multiple positions, which is key in Vogel’s defensive scheme. He can defend either backcourt position and in some cases, players on the wing as well depending on the matchup.
Vogel also noted that Caruso’s intelligence and willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed as reasons for him being elite defensively.
"“It’s not always just about physical ability, it’s about IQ. It’s about activity, hands, containment ability, willingness to take chargers, the ability to mix it up and get on the boards and rebound the basketball. He does all of those things at a very high level.”"
Caruso has been a great find for the Lakers. Many people were unsure he would continue delivering this season, but he has continued making the most of his opportunities given to him.
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The intensity that Caruso brings to the court defensively should keep him in the rotation even when the Lakers are at full strength. His versatility to play multiple spots makes him someone Vogel can fit into the lineup no matter the matchups that are needed.