Los Angeles Lakers: 3 things to watch from the guards vs. Mavericks
By Jason Reed
2. How Alex Caruso fairs defensively with more playing time
Now, this is something that we might not get to see entirely in the first scrimmage game. The reason being that the scrimmages are only going to be played in 10-minute quarters and it is going to look more like a glorified practice than anything else.
If there is going to be any player that gets more playing time in this scrimmage than he was in the regular season prior, though, it is Alex Caruso. Before Avery Bradley’s opt-out and Rajon Rondo’s injury, I did not even have Caruso in the playoff rotation. Now, he might play a big part in it.
Caruso’s biggest contribution to the Lakers is going to be his defense and we need to watch him on the defensive side of the ball, especially if he gets any iso looks against Luka Doncic, to see how he is fairing with a larger sample size.
Because right now, with the minutes that Frank Vogel has been giving Caruso, he is actually borderline elite on the defensive side of the basketball.
Scratch that. He is not borderline elite, he is elite.
Caruso has a 2.4 defensive box plus-minus this season. Just to compare that to the rest of the league, of every single player to have at least 1,000 minutes played this season, Caruso ranks 10th, right behind Kawhi Leonard and right before Ben Simmons.
Of course, numbers and advanced metrics can only get you so far, but Caruso has given Laker fans some really good defensive displays this season. Whether or not that holds up is huge for the Lakers as it gives the team one more player to guard the two elite playmaking wings that the Los Angeles Clippers have.