Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso could have left as a free agent this past summer, but he decided to re-sign with the team and recently gave some insight to that decision.
This offseason was a big one for the Los Angeles Lakers. For the second straight year, they hit it big acquiring a superstar. Last year it was LeBron James in free agency, this year it was the blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis.
While those transactions understandably dominated headlines, the Lakers did a great job this summer filling out their roster. Last summer, the signings made by Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka were questionable, at best. This summer, that wasn’t the case.
Pelinka did an excellent job rounding out the roster with diverse players to fill specific roles. One of the players that were signed this summer that has excelled is Alex Caruso.
Caruso became a fan favorite playing out his two-way deal with the Lakers. He hit free agency this summer and had a chance to go to another organization that would present him with a bigger opportunity to play.
While Caruso received minutes once injuries decimated the team last season, there were some questions about how many opportunities he would have. However, he decided to roll the dice and come back to the Lakers. A big reason for coming back was the money being offered to him.
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"But when negotiations finally began, Caruso said the Lakers’ offer, a reported two-year, $5.5 million deal, was the most money he saw.But the biggest thing he needed to know was that he could compete for a regular rotation spot – assurance he got from the new coaching staff.“I knew there was opportunity,” he said. “Coach Vogel called me when I was pretty close to making a decision and said there’s opportunity for minutes and that’s all I’ve ever needed in my career. And L.A. was the most money that anyone was going to offer me out of the guys I was talking to. And LeBron, A.D. – I knew we were going to be good.”"
That was a great combination to be pitched to Caruso. Not only would he receive a chance at playing time, but he was also being offered more money by the Lakers than any other team.
Caruso is a very versatile player that can fill a number of roles for the team, making him an important part of the roster. He is capable of playing a ballhandling role or off the ball. Caruso also has good size, which is versatile for Frank Vogel defensively, as Caruso can defend multiple positions.
As a role player, making the most of your opportunities is important. Caruso does that, as he is the best third player in net rating when playing alongside James and Davis.
This is the Net Rating of every Lakers player alongside LeBron & AD pic.twitter.com/2RAfHX245d
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) December 24, 2019
One player that people will notice near the bottom is Rajon Rondo, who is currently receiving more minutes per game than Caruso. Caruso is actually receiving the least minutes per game compared to the other guards in the regular rotation.
Avery Bradley averages 24.3 minutes per game. Danny Green is at 25.6. Kentvaious Caldwell-Pope sits at 25.2 minutes. Rondo is at 21.8 minutes per game compared to 20.1 for Caruso.
There is still plenty of time to go in the season and the Lakers haven’t had their full allotment of players often this season. So, things could change, and probably should.
Caruso has shown that he can produce when given a chance. The Lakers have given him that chance and he has always made the most of it.
It could be time for them to elevate his role once again, possibly even into the starting lineup given how much success he has playing alongside the team’s two superstars.