He earned the respect of his teammates and coaches, so much so that LeBron James, who missed his seventh straight game Monday because of an abdominal strain, walked onto the court wearing street clothes and gave Caruso a hug while fans stood and cheered for him. He made a name for himself with the Lakers. But he acknowledged that when he watched the Lakers' video tribute, the memories came rushing back. And even though Caruso was wearing a Bulls jersey Monday, when his name was announced among the starting lineups, he received a reception just as raucous as that of any of the home team's starters.Ĭaruso managed to not get choked up Monday. He finished fourth among guards in the All-Star fan vote in 2020, ahead of Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry. He'd often hear 'MVP' chants from the crowd. Yet Caruso quickly became a fan favorite during his time with the Lakers. There's really nothing not to like about him.'Ī lot of players who do the so-called dirty work are beloved by their teams, but they're often underappreciated by fans because their stats aren't eye-popping.

And he's a great guy off the court as well. And obviously, he plays hard every possession he's on the court. 'He's one of the best teammates I've ever had,' Ball said. Ball, who played alongside Caruso on the Lakers from 2017 to 2019 before they were reunited this season on the Bulls, said Caruso's work ethic is what separates him. He's now tied for second in the league with 2.5 steals per game, trailing only Chris Paul (2.6).ĭeRozan said Caruso is so smart that he could be a head coach in the league right now. The Lakers' loss has been the Bulls' gain.Įntering Monday's game, Caruso had more steals (33) than all the Lakers' reserves combined (30), according to StatMuse. You’d love to keep all of your guys every year, but it’s just not always possible.' 'But this is a business, and tough decisions have to be made with the cap. 'How do you not love a guy that plays as hard as Alex Caruso does? He represents all of the right things,' the Lakers' coach said before lamenting why the team lost him. He also had the second-highest plus-minus of anyone on the court (+28) because he altered shots, hustled, dived for loose balls and helped make life difficult for the Lakers.įrank Vogel called Caruso one of his favorite players he has ever coached. On Monday, he had zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 34 minutes in his second start of the season. He does the small things that don't show up in stat sheets but greatly impact games. I try to go out there and prove that I'm supposed to be there.' 'That's something I've just carried with me every game that I play. 'Thirty-two teams thought I wasn't good enough to play in the NBA,' Caruso said, apparently so upset by the slight that he invented two extra teams.

He then turned a two-way contract with the Lakers into a standard, two-year, $5.5 million deal by playing hard-nosed defense and leaving his heart on the court in every moment. He was undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2016. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to being shipped to New Orleans a couple of years later so Los Angeles could acquire Anthony Davis.Īs for Caruso, he has had to scrap and claw his entire career. And there's Lonzo Ball, who went from being pegged as the Lakers' savior when they selected him as the No. There's DeMar DeRozan, who acknowledged Monday that he has a chip on his shoulder because 'people said I was washed for the last two years' with the San Antonio Spurs. There's Zach LaVine, who has never made it to the playoffs in seven NBA seasons. 'We've got a bunch of people with stuff to prove,' he said.

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