Los Angeles Lakers: Alex Caruso should be the starting point guard

Why Alex Caruso should be the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, over LeBron James or Rajon Rondo

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big question mark to fill, “who will be the starting point guard?” There have been rumors swirling around that LeBron James will fill the void, but he will be turning 35 in December. James, defensively, can’t match up with the top-flight point guards in the NBA. He can do it for flashes, in crucial moments in big games, but it wouldn’t be fair to ask him to do it on a full-time basis.

Offensively, the Lakers would look similar to how most LeBron James run teams look. He has always been the de facto point guard for his team, but this move would be more pronounced. He would constantly have the ball in his hands without a true second option to take the playmaking responsibility off him if James started at point.

Veteran Rajon Rondo is another player who is getting heavy consideration to start. Rondo has some of the similar problems of LeBron when it comes to defensive assignments. Rondo was consistently beaten off the dribble by opposing guards last season.

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When Rondo was on the court, the Lakers’ offensive rating dropped by 2.3 points. This was huge when contrasting it to the opponents’ 7.3 jump in scoring when he was on the floor.

The Lakers were clearly better offensively and defensively without Rondo on the court last year, being outscored by eight points per 100 possessions.

Rondo was a great floor general for the Lakers last year, averaging eight assists per game, but his style of play doesn’t fit with the rest of the team. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective, he likes a slowed-down style of play, and he needs defenders around him to cover up his defensive liabilities.

With LeBron on the court, you don’t need a guy who is going to dominate the ball as much as Rondo. The Lakers need someone that can push the ball and take the pressure off LeBron as the point guard, as opposed to being the full-time guy.

Having Rondo and James on the court together is puts too much pressure on the guys around them defensively. The only LeBron teammate who played at least 40 games with the Lakers to be outscored per 100 possessions when the two shared the court together was Rondo. Not only were they outscored, but Rondo and Tyson Chandler were also the only pairings with James where the team’s assists per 100 possessions went down.

If the team is being outscored and creating fewer opportunities, then how helpful is Rondo as a starter?

The clear and obvious choice to start at point guard for the Lakers is Alex Caruso. Caruso had a small sample size of 24 games with the Lakers last season, but he showed flashes as to why the “Bald Mamba” should be starting.

The Caruso and James pairing worked marvelously for the Lakers as they outscored opponents by 11.2 points per 100 possessions. The play of Caruso perpetuated the team as a whole as its opponents’ effective field goal percentage and offensive rating drops when Caruso is on the court.

Caruso is able to effectively run the show, without dominating the ball like Rondo. He is better playing off the ball, evident by his 48 percent 3-point shooting, which makes him a better fit with LeBron. He can cut to basket off of weak sides screens and use his athleticism to flush it home, or spot up in the corner and wait for the defense to collapse on LeBron or Anthony Davis.

The athleticism of Caruso also allows him to stay in front of his defensive matchups, which is especially important considering the number of elite point guards that reside in the Western Conference.

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Bringing Rondo off the bench would allow him to pair with more of the 3-and-D wings of the Lakers – Avery Bradley, KCP, Kyle Kuzma, Jared Dudley. Rondo could be a true point guard without having to share the duties while having a lot of defenders around him. Laker nation is ready for the start of the “Bald Mamba” era.

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