2.) Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso has come a long way; from being a little known G League player to the second-best role player for a championship contender. Since the start of the season, Caruso has been slowly, but steadily, working himself into the Lakers’ rotation.
His numbers aren’t all that eye-popping at only 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, but numbers don’t tell the whole story when it comes to the Bald Mamba. He does all of the right things when he’s out there. Everything from smart cuts to the basket, hustling for loose balls, or simply making the right pass.
His playmaking is still a question mark, which is most obvious in his inability to consistently run pick and rolls with the Laker bigs, which is why he is mostly playing alongside a primary ball-handler in either LeBron James or Rajon Rondo. He also doesn’t try to do too much when he’s out there, which is exactly what you want in a role player.
Aside from all the little things he does for this team, the advanced metrics also paint Caruso as one of the most important players for the Lakers. Per CleaningtheGlass, with Caruso on the floor, opponents are seeing a -7.4 drop in points scored per 100 possessions and a -5% drop in eFG%. In addition, the Lakers’ net rating is +8.3 whenever Caruso is on the floor.
As stated previously, numbers don’t tell the whole story, but the eye test also shows the impact Caruso makes, as the team just flat out plays better when he’s on the floor.