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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons why Alex Caruso is more than a meme

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks a shot from Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Staples Center on February 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks a shot from Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Staples Center on February 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

1. Alex Caruso is a very, very good defender

Alex Caruso seemingly has a new and spectacular defensive highlight every other night.

If you type “Alex Caruso Defensive Plays” into YouTube, the first result is an 11-minute video covering nothing but his February defensive highlights.

For a role-player (who plays 17 mins a night) to have a month’s highlight package of that length speaks volumes about his defensive prowess.

The statistics tend to agree with the eye-test.

From a conventional statistical standpoint, Alex Caruso’s per-36 defensive numbers sit at 2.0 steals per game and 0.6 blocks per game.

From an advanced statistical standpoint (Defensive PIPM, Defensive RPM, Defensive RAPTOR, Defensive RAPTOR On/Off, Defensive BPM 2.0, and Defensive Box RAPTOR), he ranks anywhere from the 85th percentile to the 96th percentile in terms of defensive effectiveness, depending on which metric you choose to use.

He’s a menace in the passing lanes (96th percentile in passing lane defense), is amongst the league leaders in deflections / 75 possessions (95th percentile), and hustles for loose balls (81st percentile in loose ball recovery rate).

As a perimeter defender, BBall Index places Caruso in the 92nd percentile of all players, the best ranking on the Lakers roster. No matter how you look at it, The Bald Eagle is a very good defender.

When the season resumes, the Lakers are going to rely on his defensive prowess more than ever. As I touched upon in a previous article, Avery Bradley was called upon to be the team’s primary point guard defender, spending over 40% of his time on-court guarding the position. Alas, Avery Bradley is not going to be in the bubble, which means that someone needs to fill that void.

For the season to date, Alex Caruso is second on the team in time spent guarding point guards, at nearly 32% of his time on-court. Many of the playoff teams out West have an explosive offensive point guard running their offense, which only increases Caruso’s importance to the team.

I think that the Los Angeles Lakers will initially start Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in place of Bradley for his offense, but don’t be surprised if Caruso’s defensive prowess sees his minutes bumped up to the mid-twenties.

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