Los Angeles Lakers: Why Alex Caruso is the better starting fit for LA

The Los Angeles Lakers recently re-signed fan-favorite point guard Alex Caruso to a two-year deal to join Rajon Rondo and Quinn Cook at point guard.

As soon as it was announced that Kawhi Leonard was signing with the Los Angeles Clippers the Los Angeles Lakers went on a signing spree and brought in several role players with the cap space that was being reserved for Leonard.

The initial signings consisted of Danny Green and familiar faces from last year in the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee. Rajon Rondo was brought back, Jared Dudley and Quinn Cook were brought back beforehand, and the big news, the team struck a one-year deal with DeMarcus Cousins.

What to expect out of Cousins this year with the Lakers is an entirely different conversation and one we can have in a different article. Today, we take a look at the point guard position.

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The point guard position is an interesting one after trading Lonzo Ball to New Orleans. The Lakers were significantly better when Ball was in the lineup and this year are turning to his backup from a year ago in Rondo to start.

Quinn Cook appeared to be his primary backup until it was announced that the team had re-signed fan-favorite point guard Alex Caruso. Caruso spent most of his time in the G League but came up late last year for the Lakers and was great; it also helps that he looks like a guy you would see at 24 Hour Fitness and is a pro basketball player.

This signing initially appears to be to add depth at the position, with most fans already expecting Caruso to get more minutes than Cook. We will raise that even higher though, as Caruso will prove to be the best starting option for the Lakers over Rajon Rondo as well.

Rondo will almost undoubtedly start the season as the starting point guard if he is healthy because of his veteran status and experience over Caruso. However, based on the two’s skill sets, Caruso fits the Lakers’ first team much more.

First of all, Caruso is a solid defender that was one of the best defensive players in the G League last season, although he did not make the All-Defensive team. He has the size (6’5″) and athleticism at the point guard position to be an above-average defender for the Lakers.

He won’t be Lonzo Ball but he will give a team that is starting to look poor defensively some much-needed defense in the backcourt.

Second of all, he is not the kind of point guard that is going to get in the way of LeBron James facilitating the offense. Caruso does not need the basketball offensively to be successful as he can use off-ball picks to get to the basket to use his finishing ability and can even become a decent off-ball shooter.

He is not the greatest shooter but he did shoot 48 percent on 50 attempts with the Lakers last year. If he can hone into that shooting stroke he becomes even more valuable.

Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo is very much someone that needs the basketball to be at his best, who would be making a sacrifice by playing off-ball. That is why Rondo is perfect for the bench in the second unit.

Rondo can be the guy running the offense when LeBron James is off the court and can become a pick and roll machine alongside Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee. Rondo is prone for these massive nights occasionally and having that kind of threat and production off the bench would be great for the team.

If you look at the all-around skill set right now, Rajon Rondo has a slight edge over Caruso. However, it is their styles of play that dictates where they should play, and right now, Rondo seems much better as a bench piece rather than a starter.

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The minutes between the two will be fairly similar but when it comes to the better starting fit, it is clear that Alex Caruso is the answer for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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