All Lakers fans should not forget Caruso, how much everyone loves him, and how sad the fans were when the Lakers did not want to keep Caruso. In order to make room for Tucker, the Lakers management even did not hesitate to let Caruso go. Judging from Caruso's performance in the Bulls and the Lakers' record now, this deal should be considered a very failure. We don't say how much Change Caruso can bring to the current Lakers, the biggest impact of this deal is to cultivate an opponent for himself. And the deal also shows fans that the Lakers management's brain is really not very good.
If you just look at the underlying data, you might think that Caruso is insignificant. In the 21st season, Caruso played in 58 games for the Lakers, averaging 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. After coming to the Bulls, Caruso's playing time improved by 6.6 minutes, but he only had 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and his scoring average per game was not as good as the Lakers' second season. So there are many people who say that this kind of player is actually very general, at most it is a puzzle player, and the Lakers will lose it if they lose it. Nothing to be sorry about! In fact, Caruso's role in the team is far greater than we think. His influence on the team's tactical system can at some point directly influence the outcome of a game.
How can a substitute player do this? Quite simply, defensively. All of Caruso's roles are embodied on the defensive end, so no matter what you say about the player, you end up getting back into the defensive realm. How does a player with no advantage in height grasp the initiative on the defensive end? And how did he achieve dominance on the defensive end? It boils down to one word: positivity.
As you must know, it is certainly useless to rely on hard work without talent. Caruso knew this too, so he managed to be as hard and positive as possible while ensuring that he had enough talent and that talent could support himself after the game. So far this season, Caruso has averaged 1.9 steals per game, second in the league. In the game against the Lone Ranger, Caruso even delivered 6 steals to equal his career high.
According to league data, more than 70% of the games caruso has played this season have been fighting with the opponent's defenders. Under Caruso's limitations, most players' overall shooting percentage dropped by 8 points, and their three-point shooting average dropped by 14 points. What is this concept? Of all the outside defenders, Caruso's statistic is the best, not one. A player with no advantage in height can force an opponent to this extent on the outside, which is very rare in league history.
To be honest, although Lakers fans are reluctant to admit it, the Bulls are indeed more suitable for Caruso than the Lakers. There are two main reasons, one is offense. The Bulls actually have a lot of offensive points, and Ball can appear as an outside shooter, to a certain extent, to achieve a three-point projection that covers the outside. Raven and DeRozan are both good offensive players, and both have performed very well this season, Vucevic has strengthened his organizational attributes after joining the Bulls, but because of the good foundation, his attack has not been pulled down. The Bulls now don't lack offensive points at all, which doesn't require Caruso to bother scoring. He is not an expert in this area, which not only reduces his pressure on the offensive end, but also ensures that Caruso can continue to shine in his area of expertise.
Second, defensively. The Bull gave Caruso a lot of freedom. Although DeRozan appeared as a number four this season, his play style is more like a number two or three position, Lavin and DeRozan are not good at defending players, then the defensive lineup on the outside line must be left to Caruso and Bauer to keep. Why can the Bulls' defensive efficiency improve so quickly this year? A large part of the reason is the dedication from Caruso and Bauer.
This season, Caruso's defensive efficiency is 103.2, ranking 23rd in the league, and the steals data at key moments is 18th in the league, and it is foreseeable that caruso will remain the team's most trusted defensive force in key moments in the future. In a team that can offer big contracts while also being willing to give them opportunities, it's hard not to get better results. After all, the Bull and Caruso are now perfecting each other.
In the end, let's sum up, if you look back at the Lakers' deal, you can actually understand a little bit of the Lakers' mind. In contrast, Caruso does have a good performance on the field, and the impact on the team's defense is also quite large. But for the team, they can't just be limited to the present. Caruso is 27 years old, and tucker, 21, is certainly more attractive in comparison. The performance of this substitute player on the field is actually very unstable, and it is possible to fail to play the expected results at any time. So in order to avoid this happening, and for their team to have a better future, the Lakers chose to abandon Caruso and leave Tucker. It's just that they may have overlooked that the future development of the Lakers is already unclear. Leaving Caruso, the team can maintain integrity for both seasons, so that in the final stages of James' career, the team still has a chance to win the championship. Now the team is dismantled like this, the player's injuries are repeated, Westbrook has not played the expected performance, and the Lakers will only think about how to play next season in the insults of fans.
To tell the truth, Caruso's life is now complete. Previously, everyone hoped that Caruso could renew the Lakers, essentially thanking the Lakers for digging. After all, as a loser, it was the Lakers who gave Caruso a chance. Let him go from being an outcast to a middle-class player. Caruso himself knew this, so when the trade rumors appeared, he made it clear that his first choice was still the Lakers. It's just that reality doesn't allow it, and he can only make the best choice for himself. Caruso already has a championship ring, and the team's situation is now relatively clear. He doesn't need to work that hard to be treated well, and of course, his efforts are continuous. Caruso never gives up the pursuit of victory, but when he saw Caruso desperately fighting on the field, many Lakers fans said that they were difficult to draw.