[Coaching] Alex Caruso, « little big man »

Lakers fans love Alex Caruso. With his physique of “Mister Everyman” and his unsuspected athletic qualities, he ignites the Staples Center and has established himself as the darling of the team. To the point of pointing squarely to 4th place in the All-Star Game votes for the “guards” in the West, with 1,284,932 votes from fans. That’s more than Russell Westbrook (1,094,254) or even Devin Booker (811,479)…

Except that Alex Caruso is much more than a mascot. Even if his stats (5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 average assists in 18 minutes) are not great, it’s often when he’s on the field that the Lakers make the difference.

LeBron James and Alex Caruso, the Lakers’ best duo

How to explain it? By representing the cumulative “GameScore”, i.e. the statistical production of the players in Frank Vogel’s rotation since the start of the season, in relation to the +/-, i.e. the gap created when these players are on the field, one can see a logical link between the two. With an overall +/- of +452 (the difference between points scored and points conceded by the Lakers when he has been on the pitch since the start of the season), LeBron James is very much at the top of the category, ahead of Danny Green (+281) and Alex Caruso (+239). Despite a much higher statistical production, Anthony Davis (+233) is only fourth.

This is explained because the duo Rajon Rondo – Anthony Davis simply does not work, and it is even the worst duo of Lakers (with at least 250 minutes together) with a “Net Rating” of -7.9! Conversely, the LeBron James – Alex Caruso duo is the best duo, with a “Net Rating” of +24.7 when they are together on the court.

“Together, LeBron and Alex are one of our best combinations this season, from a Net Rating perspective”confirms Frank Vogel, well aware of the situation. “We’re going to keep looking for ways to make sure we get the most out of it, without overdoing it. »

The coach does not want to use the man he considers his “secret weapon” too much, except that more and more observers are wondering why he uses so much Rajon Rondo, whose impact is quite often negative, and not more. Alex Caruso, who on the contrary often brought a spark. But how to measure this impact?

Present on the passing lines… and as a screener

It is in the “hustle” category of advanced NBA statistics that you have to dig to understand the “intangible” impact of the “Bald Mamba”. Over 36 minutes (and for players who have played more than 300 minutes this season), he is thus the 11th player who “touches” the most balls in defense, by disrupting the opposing passing lines, with 4.1 “deflections” out of 36 minutes, between Fred VanVleet’s 4.2 and Ben Simmons’ 4.0 for example.

Much more surprisingly, he is also among the best… screeners in the backs, with 52 screens having brought a basket since the start of the season. And this is undoubtedly one of the most interesting points of his game.

Facing the Pelicans, we saw him in a pick-and-roll where he “rolls” in the circle. Something to disturb Lonzo Ball…

Against the Grizzlies, we saw him place (at the request of LeBron James) a classic “pindown screen” on Jonas Valanciunas in order to free Anthony Davis under the circle. Again, this surprised the defense.

Surprisingly powerful on his screens, Alex Caruso is therefore used by the Lakers in situations unusual for a fullback, such as this sequence at the start of the season, where he forms a wall with Dwight Howard.

Quietly, he makes “things happen”

But the most telling sequence, to illustrate its “invisible” impact, is undoubtedly that of Anthony Davis’ 3-pointer, against Denver. In overtime in the Rockies, the Lakers are tied (116-116). Anthony Davis had just scored an important 3-pointer, but Gary Harris equalized in stride.

And on this action, while Los Angeles has found no lag and there are only five seconds left on the clock, Alex Caruso will speak about his complicity with LeBron James, using the floating help of Torrey Craig behind Jerami Grant to signal to the King that there is a three-on-two to play on the weak side. By putting a screen on Gary Harris, he can thus release Anthony Davis behind his back, for a new 3-point which will be decisive.

It’s the kind of details that you don’t see on the stat sheet but that make a team win. In defense or in attack, he makes “shake things up”, can only recognize Frank Vogel. Especially with this almost instinctive complicity with LeBron James, who adores him. “We work well together and every minute we spend on the pitch we try to make it productive. It’s a great combination for our team.”details the winger. “I think it’s because I’m a smart player, and obviously it’s very easy to play with LeBron. It’s LeBron James” concludes for his part Alex Caruso.

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