The Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel calls point guard Alex Caruso, who leads the team in defensive rating at 96.3, “a star defender”:
“I think he’s elite. When you study him on tape, or just watch him in summer workouts, you see he has pretty good feet and good length. But there are a lot of 6-foot-5 defenders that you think should be great defenders. But Alex is. He has great instincts, and that’s the biggest thing with him.
It’s not always just about physical ability. It’s about IQ. It’s about activity. Hands. Containment ability. Willingness to take charges. The ability to mix it up and get on the boards and rebound the basketball. He does all those things at a very high level,” Vogel said, per Heavy.
This season, Caruso is averaging 4.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting at 40.0% from the floor.
