“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke

Alex Caruso has been working very hard.

Rajon Rondo may be an NBA champion, a four-time NBA All-Star, and a former NBA steals leader, but there seems to be a direct correlation with increased playing time leading to losses.

On the other hand, there seems to be a direct correlation with an increase in Caruso’s playing time leading into a positive impact on the NBA floor.

Impact

The recent string of games may not matter much to an NBA veteran, but it says a lot when a player shows professionalism in giving all-out effort on the NBA floor.

Lately he’s been making the best of the opportunity, proving his best NBA skill on the defensive end.

Players with 5 steals and 3 blocks in a single game this season: Harden (2x), Nurkic, Davis, Thad Young and Alex Caruso.

Amidst a rough stretch for the Lakers, Caruso is carving himself a place in this league. He's the first Laker to reach those defensive numbers in 5 years. pic.twitter.com/w121Wt1k7I

— Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) March 18, 2019

Improvement

Early on, he was exploited a few times against NBA level competition. Kris Dunn stole the ball from him two consecutive times at the beginning of the 4th quarter to try and spur a Bulls run.

Caruso played just 11 minutes that game, but the Lakers ended up extending the lead to a 16-point victory. From that game, he’s shown improvement and comfort on the NBA floor.

Defenders have left him open for the 3-point shot. Now he takes them.

His 3-point shot had been woefully inconsistent from the previous year as well. Last year, he shot 30.2 percent behind the arc, but with better shot selection and practice, he’s up to 48.5 percent through March and 51.4 percent for the season.  

He’s even built some on court chemistry with LeBron James.

Long live the Alex Caruso-LeBron James pick-and-roll pic.twitter.com/tWp1QgwudE

— Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) March 30, 2019

Numbers of an NBA-level Player

Despite the losses, it isn’t just the PIPM that makes him a unique find. He has found a way to have a better offensive rating than defensive rating, despite playing on a Laker team with so many losses.

If we looked at the numbers without association to the Lakers, it would be easy to think this is an ascending experienced 2nd round pick with upside remaining. He may have a high foul rate, but he also impacts the floor with his block and steal rate, reminiscent of Lonzo Ball’s defensive impact from last year. If the shooting holds at an above average rate and he continues to play next to a high usage guard or wing, like LeBron James, it becomes easier to see his upside fulfilled as a Laker player.

He’s also a near net zero value over replacement player. In essence, he doesn’t hurt the team.

Sometimes, Caring Matters

With the Lakers falling short of this season’s expectations, it’s more difficult to find positive attributes to the team. One of their best and underrated aspects is how they have groomed the South Bay Lakers. Alex Caruso has his shot. Andre Ingram, Scott Machado, and most recently, Jemerrio Jones have all been recently called up.

All of them have something to prove.

The difference in effort is stark when it comes to other Laker veterans. Some of them are previous world champions, like JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo. Some of them are known names, like Lance Stephenson. They have established themselves on the NBA spectrum and simply don’t have as much to prove.

But in reality, they do. Even with a one-year contract this season for each of those signings, they needed to prove they were playoff and championship quality players to further extend their careers. Of the three players, it’s clear that JaVale McGee has stood out, not only with his stellar defensive effort to start the season on heavier minutes, but also recovering from pneumonia and getting back to that level again.

Aside from the numbers, Laker fans can see effort. We can see Caruso running after a loose ball. We can see when McGee is sprinting the floor and trying. We can see when Lance’s effort rises as his confidence rises on the floor too.

Effort is something the South Bay Laker team doesn’t lack. Alex has come in with that same effort, game after game. He, like his fellow South Bay teammates, all have something to prove. Alex is making the best of the opportunity and starting to solidify his spot on the NBA floor.