3. Caruso plays well alongside LeBron
Besides the obvious Anthony Davis, Caruso is the player on the Lakers that LeBron plays best with. Surprisingly the pairing of Caruso and LeBron has the highest net rating on the Lakers when they are on the court together and are the fourth highest-rated duo in the league with a net rating of 20.8 when sharing the floor together.
LeBron has also been very complimentary of Caruso over the course of the season. In January, he told the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver,
"“Every time he’s in the game, he’s a plus guy. He can do so much. He can defend at a high level. He’s very smart. He’s very tough. To have him on this ball club is a luxury.”"
Then later in the season after a win in late February over the Grizzlies Mike Trudell asked him a question about why they play well together and he responded by saying,
"“Just playing the game the right way,” James said. “Very cerebral basketball players. We’re making winning plays, both of us. We work well together, and every minute we’re on the floor, we’re just trying to make it productive, trying to be in the plus and not the minus. It’s a great combination for our ball club.”"
Knowing how highly LeBron regards Caruso’s game, it is surprising to learn that the Lakers would go out and try to trade him. However, he should be glad the deal did not go through because he would have likely missed one of his best sidekicks on the team.
Obviously someone who LeBron refers to as the G.O.A.T. on a daily basis should be considered a valuable member of the roster.