Alex Caruso Is A Spark Plug Who Drives Fans Wild
The first time Alex Caruso heard the crowd at Staples Center chanting 'MVP' he was a bit taken aback.
He knew it was ridiculous but he couldn't help but enjoy the moment.
"Wow, this is kind of crazy," Caruso thought at the time.
Now, in his third season with the Lakers, the 25-year-old is used to being a fan favorite.
"I don’t want to say it’s redundant because obviously I’m not going to take it for granted," Caruso said Saturday. "But, for me, it’s just kind of normal. I’m going out there and once I step on the stickie pad and tuck my jersey in, it’s kind of game mode for me. I’m kind of locked in. So, the cheers are great and all that. But most of the time I’m worried about who we’re matched up on defense, what play we’re running, stuff like that.”
Caruso had a strong performance in Tuesday's 118-109 win over New Orleans. In the second quarter, he made a no-look pass in between his legs to James, who was trailing him on a fast break and finished with a one-handed jam. Then in the fourth quarter, he blocked a shot by Lonzo Ball that sent Ball flat on his back and the crowd into a frenzied prolonged standing ovation as they chanted 'MVP, MVP.'
Caruso had the highest plus-minus (20) rating of anyone on the court Tuesday, finishing with eight points, all in the fourth quarter, and eight assists.
"He’s been a huge part of our success this season," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Wednesday. "And hopefully he continues to get better in all the ways we’re challenging him and pushing him."
One of the areas that Vogel wants to see continued improvement is with Caruso's decision-making in the paint.
"That’s the biggest thing that we’ve been working with him on all season," Vogel said. "He does a great job attacking the paint and we want to be a team that gets in there and makes great decisions. It’s one of the areas I think when he first got his feet wet in this league he struggled a little bit with that. But he’s come a long way and you saw it [Tuesday] night. He had another great practice with it [Wednesday]. Hopefully that continues to grow."
Caruso averages 5.6 points on 42.9 percent shooting, 1.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.1 minutes a game. But his affect on the court goes far beyond his stats.
"He always seems to make the right play, and he always tends to be in the right position at the right time all the time," Anthony Davis said Wednesday. "He’s [a] tough, big guard, finishes well and shoots well. He reads the defense well, he can defend anybody, one through three, he gonna lock them up."
Davis said he didn't know much about Caruso when he signed with the Lakers this past offseason. He heard he was athletic, but he didn't realize the extent of his skills.
When asked what was his favorite play by Caruso this season, Davis didn't hesitate.
"Probably the putback on my missed free throw," Davis said, referring to a two-handed dunk that Caruso made over Kyle Anderson in Friday's win over Memphis. "...That’s tough to do. I haven’t seen too many people do that in this league, especially guards. For him to do that, all vert, is pretty much insane."
Caruso's minutes have varied throughout the season, but Vogel said his playing time doesn't depend on Rajon Rondo's minutes and vice versa.
"No, I mean, because Alex is being used sort of as a part-time point and a part-time wing," Vogel said. "He’s splitting minutes between those two positions. Sometimes it’s a matter of throwing him in there at the point guard spot. Sometimes it’s a matter of him playing the wing. Rondo is just a point guard."
Davis said that a lot of what Caruso does flies under the radar. He said Caruso's block Tuesday helped change the game for the Lakers. Caruso followed that play with a steal against Ball and then a three-point play after making a layup that he was fouled on.
"It’s things like that about AC that goes unnoticed and with us," Davis said. "We want to make sure that we give him all the credit. He’s a guy that came in from day one, know his role, some games if Rondo has it going, he don’t see the floor as much. But he always remains a professional."
Caruso's problem, however, has never been about getting enough recognition.
At least, not from the fans.
Caruso received the loudest cheers of anyone Tuesday evening even though LeBron James had a season-high 40 points. Heck, Caruso even finished fourth in the fan vote for the All-Star Game in February among guards in the Western Conference, ahead of Russell Westbrook.
Caruso said the reason why he connects with fans is simple.
"I think I play the game the right way," Caruso said. "I think I do little things that contribute to winning and contribute to the energy of the team and the energy of the game. And I think the fans feed off of that.”
