Alex Caruso (PG/SG, LAL) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: The unthinkable is now the inevitable: LeBron James will be absent from the 2019 NBA playoffs, and the Lakers are going to be placing restrictions on his usage for the remainder of the season as a result. The Lakers are resting their injured players and don't appear to be taking any chances, with (probable trade pieces) Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball now out for the rest of the year, and Tyson Chandler, Kyle Kuzma, and Lance Stephenson all currently dealing with injury woes. This has forced Luke Walton to get creative and make use of such players as Moritz Wagner, Johnathan Williams, and Alex Caruso. Alex Caruso? Isn't that the name of Selena Gomez's character from "Wizards of Waverly Place"? No, it is actually an undrafted guard out of Texas A&M who has been with the Lakers organization for two years now. With the circumstances surrounding the remaining games in LA's season, Caruso has found his way into 29.5 minutes per contest over the last two games, and has performed admirably in the reserve role to the tune of 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

While the former Aggie and SEC standout has shot poorly from long-range in G-League play this season (27.4%), he has produced a fantastic and well-rounded stat-line with a particular emphasis on aggressive perimeter defense in 27 games for the South Bay Lakers with 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Whether it is a sad indication for the state of their season or not, Luke Walton is likely going to be calling on Alex Caruso for consistent minutes until the regular season schedule concludes. With that being the case, Caruso is a solid option for all-around statistical production alongside his fellow ragtag replacements, even if he is still obtaining his NBA feel from three-point distance.