Los Angeles Lakers Player Spotlight: PG Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso has become a walking meme for the NBA but he is so much more than that for the league and for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The next player to be covered on the “Los Angeles Lakers Player Spotlight” series is point guard, Alex Caruso.

Biography

Alex Caruso spent four years with the Texas A&M Aggies. In his time with the team, he averaged 8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Most impressively is that over his four years in college, Caruso averaged an astounding two steals a game.

However, these stats were not enough for Caruso to be drafted. Although he did get a chance to play with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2016 Summer League, the 76ers chose not to sign him to their NBA or their G-League team.

However, the Oklahoma City Thunder did pick up Caruso but waived him a couple of months later. Shortly after waiving him from their NBA team, the Thunder signed Caruso to their G-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue.

The following year, Caruso found his way onto the Lakers’ Summer League team. His impressive performance in the summer league led to him being signed to the South Bay Lakers. After a couple of years on a two-way contract, Caruso is now on an official NBA contract with the Los Angles Lakers.

Caruso had to work his way up from the very bottom in terms of making his way to the NBA, and this attests to the hard work and dedication he has. He shows this killer mentality on the court as well.

Strengths And Weaknesses

Caruso is an elite defender. He can guard the opposing teams best ball handler with ease and off the ball, Caruso is notorious for playing passing lanes and turning them into fast-break dunks. He also has quick hands which also contributes to the amount of steals he has accumulated in the limited minutes he plays.

In only 17.8 minutes per game, he averages a steal. Caruso is also a classic case of not judging a player by his looks. Despite what his looks would lead you to assume what the skill set of Caruso is, fans and players alike are shocked by his athletic and dunking ability.

A couple of weaknesses in Caruso’s game are rebounding and assisting. Both of which are not very necessary when playing with a player like LeBron James who is essentially a 6’8″ point guard. However, if Caruso continues to work and improve on these aspects of his game, he will likely be a starter for the Lakers as soon as the playoffs.

What He Brings To The Team

I believe that Caruso brings more to the team than the Lakers utilize. If he were to start over someone like Avery Bradley or take some of Rajon Rondo’s minutes, I think Alex could be the best defensive point guard in the entire NBA.

On top of his elite defense, he possesses a serviceable three-point shot. He also is someone that can push the pace of the game and run both the passing and finishing roles of the fastbreak. Caruso is also beloved by the fans and, the rest of the Lakers.

Fans have at times deemed the Lakers the “Carushow” and have given him the nickname “The Bald Eagle”. While LeBron allegedly only refers to Alex as “Goat” or “The Goat”. This warm reception leads to him being someone who immediately gets the crowd involved and is an absolute sparkplug off of the bench.

He should be a player that continues to get an increased amount of minutes and helps the Los Angeles Lakers for years to come.