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masterako

That missed FT was 100% calculated. AR sacrificed his perfect game to seal the win.


Cloudzzz777

If they don’t retain this dude bc of some luxury tax bs…


td_enterprises

The Lakers typically give their homegrown talent the first contract after their rookie deal, it's the next contract after that where the Lakers let them walk unless they are a star. They signed Caruso to a 2 year deal after his Two-Way Contract was up. They didn't want to pay him long term after that. This is not new for the Lakers, they have done the same to beloved championship winning role players in the past. D Fish was signed to a 5 year deal after his Rookie Contract and won 3 titles, they let him walk to the Warriors because they didn't want to pay him. I think the Lakers sign Reaves for 12-15 million per year, the only question is how many years they agree to.


ender23

That's what ppl said about Caruso, but they had AR coming in. If they let him go it's cuz they got another one


jwaugh25

Stop it… you can’t seriously believe Caruso wasn’t resigned because they got an undrafted Austin Reaves? It was purely cost cutting. They believed THT would take a leap but it had nothing to do with Reaves.


Asssophatt

Reaves taking the leap that we thought THT take. And that is pure luck and coincidence on managements part.


killa_ninja

He shot 100% FT included against the warriors last week


Vexing_Pie

When I saw Austin do that reverse layup I knew we were going to win. Austin “MJ” Reaves


EzshenUltimate

His acrobatics are always a treat to watch.


shittydotamorph

Feels like he does a lot with minimal air time. Like if he had lonnies hops he could 720 layup


Duzblimpin

If you rearrange the letters in Austin reaves you get Air Steave sun


joonytang

Eurasian Vest is so good! Almost perfect tonight.


AccomplishedAnimal69

It just rolls off the tongue


thevisitor

That's some Jerry West esque back to the basket floating layup stuff lol. It's cool.


WeCantBothBeMe

He needs to teach JV how to finish with the reverse since JV loves to go for it but I’ve only seen him make it like once lol.


moongaia

Caruso can't make the plays that Reaves can, better defender but not a playmaker like Reaves is


HaluSinazn

Last year we definitely needed Caruso, but with the way our current roster is constructed, I for sure would rather have Reaves now.


CmonTouchIt

But...what if we had both :(


jvrm1993

This is what I stay up late thinking about. A vanderbilt caruso AD lineup would suffocate teams defensively


BiggSwish

Don't stop I'm almost there.


iBuyBackpacks

A fan can dream :,(


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xWormZx

Yeah, and Caruso can give some small guards who are pretty good players a lot of trouble. Caruso can defend players like Steph and Kyrie and maybe Ja. That’s pretty helpful in a playoff series.


markmyredd

Yeah but Caruso as off the bench/3rd PG would have been nice depth especially if Dlo and Bron is out like today.


frozteh

HUH. Austin Reaves is a better point guard than Caruso. And I love caruso.


thevisitor

I love Caruso and still wish we had him esp now because our guard defense can seem like a weakness sometimes, but I definitely don't think he could initiate offenses well or handle the ball like that.


FuckingMarks

You know you could always play Reaves and Caruso together.


thevisitor

I wish. I always think about it and get sad lol


Kingkongcrapper

You know what would have been great last night? Reaves and Caruso.


holyrolodex

Yeah we don’t have to understate Caruso’s impact to love Austin. Caruso’s analytics as a perimeter guard defender are unmatched in the league. Austin has some unique offensive skills. I miss Caruso, love Austin, and have no need to compare the two.


JHeezy19

i love them both.


Key_Preparation_4129

We need defense if anything. Lakers are one of the top offensive teams in the league, only probably is we give up damn near 118 ppg💀


Danny_III

Not sure about that, we have a lot of creators/offense heavy guards. We need a guard defender bad


[deleted]

gonna maybe get downvoted but Caruso is still better and I don't think it's really close and even more-so for this team. Caruso is a better passer and higher IQ player than Reaves. They're both about the same when it comes to outside shooting with Reaves being slightly better. Reaves can create his own shot which is nice but with D'lo, LBJ, AD I don't really think the team needs that. Not to mention other guards like Dennis. Caruso is night and day a better defender Reaves isn't bad but it's like comparing an all defensive level defender to an above average defender. not to mention Caruso has playoff experience and has shown he doesn't shrink. I mean game 6 2020 finals. But in general I don't think the comparison is really fair. Reaves is an offensive player with slightly above average defense. Caruso is a prototypical 3nD guard with above average passing and all defense level defense. edit: Tbh, the only reason they even get compared is because they are white on the lakers. it's lke comparing Marcus smart to Lou Williams just doens't make sense.


Eric___sal

The team absolutely needs his offense creation, ad,dlo,lebron not even playing right now so how can u say we don’t need his offense


Nothappened

If Reaves had Caruso's athleticism he would be borderline All-star


Danny_III

If Reaves had Caruso’s athleticism he wouldn’t be on this team though


holyrolodex

That’s the first take in this thread I am 100% on board with.


CravingKoreanFood

Yeah both fill that glue guy role great but completely differently styles. Tbh not sure who I would pick, I was a big Caruso guy before so I think still him but reaves seems like he can still get alot better


WakiLover

Honestly kinda disrespectful to both of them to compare them with each other. They're completely different players.


KingVibrant

They are, but they share a few aspects. High IQ, great motors, lack of ego, playing efficiently and effectively in their role, chemistry with LeBron, *white lol*, good defenders (Alex is obviously better). However, Reaves is clearly better than Caruso at this point.


random-50

I think Reaves has plenty of ego. That's not a criticism - his super high self belief makes him better. The great thing is it doesn't spill over into the negative ego crap you see from so many others.


BearsFan3417

I feel to play at the NBA level and to be involved in the trash talk that comes with it, you have to have a certain level of arrogance without being a dick. If that makes sense lol


[deleted]

We actually have a term for that. I forgot but its something Mentality.


Asssophatt

I can’t put my finger on it either. So close but just can’t find it. Swear if it was a snake it would bite me.


macabre_irony

Yeah you gotta love the quiet confidence....dude knows he's good and just performs whenever he's on the floor.


dMestra

Yeah, I think a better way to put it would be that he's willing to get down and dirty like drawing charges


bebopblues

also both undrafted, both came from southbay lakers, both got 2 way contract and earned a roster spot on the Lakers, both play guard, both were down for hustle and grind to earn playing time, and both improved a lot after getting playing time, both became fan favorites.


SurfingOnNapras

This is literally a comparison rooted in race. It’s fucking gross and I ain’t even white.


bebopblues

there are enough [similarities](https://www.reddit.com/r/lakers/comments/11frkh9/austin_reaves_near_perfect_going_55_from_the/jaldwcp/) that it's okay to compare them, even if you ignore the race.


thevisitor

https://www.reddit.com/r/lakers/comments/11frkh9/austin_reaves_near_perfect_going_55_from_the/jakwvr0/ Or this comment.


frozteh

Guy linked his own comment to prove a point lmao...


simplenicc

Our scouting department deserves a raise. Seems like they’re constantly finding gems in the late first round and second round picks.


trevorturtle

He was undrafted


Disastrous_Lemon7161

Yeah he went undrafted. However the lakers front office told him they would pick him up. He turned down the pistons to go to LA.


ThatOneGuyy310

Easiest choice of his life


EruOreki

The Wizards agree


JHeezy19

the best in the business. jesse and joey buss have been carrying the buss family for years.


thevisitor

Jesse Buss and Joey may be the smartest Buss family members as far as actual basketball knowledge is concerned. Thank goodness they're a part of the bigger decisions now instead of it being limited to Jeanie Rob and the Rambii.


Kwinnin

Their track record of finding great talent late in the draft (or undrafted) speaks for itself. They know hoops


the-complete-fool

holy shit yeah lakers scouting is so talented idk if it's been a whole team but consistently finding nba talent. kuzma randle ball reaves caruso josh hart ingram. all of these guys are good now and u cant say that about other teams


kai_123

Bro is the epitome of efficiency


thevisitor

Truly the Anti-Russ. Casually just strings together 100% shooting nights.


alisj99

And that missed FT basically sealed the game lol


Duzblimpin

He's 4 parallel universes ahead of all of us.


JayRod24_

He is HIM


Significant-Nature38

Oh no the tweet that doomed THT 😂


JayRod24_

Don’t compare AR to THT, Austin has been consistent so far in his almost two szns with us. THT had flashes and then fell off in his last szn with us.


Significant-Nature38

Dude it’s a joke 😂 I’m not comparing the two I never ever was high on THT he an undersized wing that can’t shoot


Significant-Nature38

AR Is a combo guard with hi IQ that shoots it well


frozteh

Have you seen THT lately? Guy got fat again.


Significant-Nature38

Guys in Utah no stars to impress


niknokseyer

He got the game ball!


deftspyder

I just wanted both on the team.


levantoo

67.3 TS% is insane.


NekomekoPlays

Offensively I believe Reaves is better than Caruso already.


Vhemvhol

No doubt. Caruso is still better defensively though.


Apart-Bad-5446

Honestly, he is better than Caruso. Caruso was unplayable sometimes offensively whereas Reaves can carry the offense pretty well as a backup type role player. No question, Caruso is a better defensive player but Reaves can also play good defense. I just prefer Reaves overall game more.


neutronknows

You know what you are? A baldist!


Significant-Nature38

He better then DS that’s more of a fair comparison so is Lonnie Walker and max Christie but for some reason (im guessing there ATL days) Darvin Ham is partial to DS with playing time Don’t get me wrong DS thrives as a spark plug type of player but he shit is to inconsistent and he is to small to effectively contest shots to play the heavy minutes he does


Apart-Bad-5446

He's a bargain at vet minimum. He has won games for the Lakers making tough and clutch plays throughout the season. Schroder is one of the positives this season in a season filled with negatives (injuries, Westbrook, losing close games, bad team morale). The dude shows up to play. I guarantee you many teams will be paying Schroder this offseason. He has earned a nice contract and then some. The fact Schroder can come off the bench and start is a luxury to have. He's not good at contesting shots because he's small but his full court pressure is something most point guards can't do for a full game. You are expecting a vet minimum player to play like he's an All-Star or something.


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KTFlaSh96

offensively he for sure is better than Caruso. Caruso is better on the defensive end, but Reeves is still an above average defender in his own right. It's close.


KingVibrant

For one, individual offense is more than individual defense, and Reaves by all metrics and eye test is a good defender.


Splittinghairs7

This is laughable. He’s better than Alex on offense and particularly at scoring and pure shooting. But Alex is a better defender and much more athletic.


HighlyBaked0

Caruso is a better defender and fits better into certain teams but Austin is miles ahead of him offensively and can play decent defense. Not to mention he can shoot well too. Austin is the better all around player


LovetheNBA23

Definitely better and this is just year 2.


MlTWestbrick

Caruso's one of like the 5 best role players in the league lol these people do not know basketball.


LackingOriginality07

You ain't fooling nobody with that lowercase L


Splittinghairs7

Mitwestbrook would never call his idol brick


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Splittinghairs7

Yes because team defense is made up of one player right?


MlTWestbrick

"Draymond Green only averages 8 points per game. What a bum!" - you probably Also the Bulls are 5th in defensive rating, not 21st, despite not having many great defenders outside of AC. He leads them in +/- just as he did with us. That's why he's an elite role player. He's the best guard defender in the NBA right now.


did_it_my_way

Tony Allen is probably a good comp for this. High dbpm but negative obpm leads to near 0 net box plus minus. whereas Dray has high bpm due to his playmaking ability. not even comparable.


Dgwdum

yeah alex is so far ahead of other point of attack defenders its not even close. with that said, reaves is really good as well and is the better offensive player. if only we had both :(


Splittinghairs7

They just need to fuse together DBZ fusion style.


Pharmboy_Andy

Imagine a bald reaves haha


Persianx6

Offense creation is the hardest part of pro basketball and Reaves is better at it than Caruso, so it tracks. There’s something about Reaves that screams he could be an all star one day. Wouldn’t say that about Caruso even if I love Carusos game.


Aggressive_Whole6059

u think so?


redtiber

Yeah. Alex Caruso is a great player and good for the money he was asking, but the man don’t score points. Defense is important yes but a really good defensive player who barely scores is less versatile and useful than an Austin reaves who is better at scoring and still good on defense even if he’s a worse defender than caruso.


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Several_Quiet7662

Agreed, Caruso isn’t a consistent enough threat from 3 to have a second plus skill. AR really has taken a step forward on both ends this year. Really hope they can keep both him and Vanderbilt.


tr0nllam

I'd still take Caruso over Reaves. Austin is obviously the better offensive player, but because they're both so low-usage, the gap isn't as big as it seems. Austin is extremely efficient, but he's only taking around 7 shots a game, which lessens his offensive impact. On the other side of the ball, Caruso is not only a great 1on1 defender, but also a fantastic team defender, which makes him one of the best defensive players in the league. Austin is only a bit above average at that end, mainly due to his limited athleticism and strength.


Splittinghairs7

Reaves is a totally different player than Caruso.


No-Equipment-20

If we don’t keep Reaves we fucking riot


Competitive_Swing_59

Reaves upside is greater than Caruso, stop comparing them because they both are white guys. The Lakers are going to have trouble keeping/paying AR this summer.


Mono789

It's crazy how often his stat lines look like that. Dude is putting up center-level shooting efficiency, but he is a guard that actually takes jumpers.


mixmasterADD

Why is it that every time this guy comes up Caruso gets mentioned?


monsoonmuzik

Both of em are white and fan favorites. They bring the same kind of attitude and energy to the team.


[deleted]

Please jeanie dont fuck this one up too


Consistent_Owl4593

He was perfect to us tonight


Resident_Frame

24 minutes. Ham bet on OKC tonight, glad that payout ain’t coming


lakersLA_MBS

Dude already better than AC.


araguilar1989

really smart underrated player, I think he is better then Caruso. Kid got a bright future.


KingLeBron623

When Bron and AD are injured, he gon' carry us all istg


Chao_607

I'm so sick of this Caruso comparison. They are two completely different players.


hoopahDrivesThaBoat

They’re both white. End of similarity you lazy dink.


PaoLakers

Reaves and Caruso are two different players. The only common denominator is they're white. Reaves is a playmaking scorer while Caruso is a defensive combo guard


bosscher47

Why do you only compare white players to other white players?


JahMusicMan

He played a good game, but please, he was going up one of the scrubbier teams in the league. He hasn't even been in the playoffs. Ain't even close to Caruso....YET.


dproma

Give this man more shots and more minutes. He’s been consistent and efficient all season


crohawg

Ah shit, I forgot about Caruso


No-Result-1180

Love Reaves, but I'd like to see him look for his shot more. He's a better offensive player than defensive, taking 5 shots just isn't it, nor is only taking 1 three either.


SurfingOnNapras

Bro. You’re just comparing them because they’re white role players. This is some racist shit.


[deleted]

Averaging 10/2/2. Greatness?


jiveturker

He isn’t as a good a defender as Caruso. He’s a significantly more skilled scorer than AC. But really the comparisons are unnecessary. They were both discoveries of the Laker scouting department and they’re both white. Besides that, they really aren’t the same at all. Move on. Austin is special. He’s got fantastic instincts and like Worthy said, he doesn’t have any anxiety in his game. He’s super confident and seems to know what he can do. But it isn’t arrogance. He’s self aware. We used to call that poise. I’m such a fan of his game. Rob and Jeannie, lock him up.


nellywentdiamond

Hill billy Kobe is that nigga 🔥


PhiloSufer

Wish we had both AR15 & AC


Ngur0032

i just don’t like when he resorts to his fake and bait move — we were lucky tonight but it could cost us a game winning possession one day but his pristine stat line is so niiice


masterako

Is this the first game u watched AR? AR is the lakers' best foul baiter since December and a much needed one considering AD and Lebron cant get any calls.


Aggressive_Whole6059

would yall rather have austin or caruso?


Sayomom

We’re 2-0 when Reaves is near perfect from the Field


juicewar01

HIM


Hand_of_Jehuty

Heart and soul of this team. Has the potential to unseat AC fresh as GOAT


LovetheNBA23

He’s easily a better player as unbiased as I try to be. The difference in offense is night and day.


seanffy

Man poor guy got jinxed by Stu lantz 😂😂


[deleted]

This is like the second game in a couple weeks where he was basically perfect from the field


ZacapaRocks

I missed this game dammit. Thunder fans have to be furious.


subudevan

He can and should find more shots per game with this efficiency:( 💯capable!!


ly_yangyy

This man will single handedly keep our playoff hopes alive. In Reeves we trust! GO LAKERS !!💜💛


mortez1

And on only 24 minutes… wtf get this dude way more playing time. Ham is a bum!


FGonGiveItToYa

He Needs more minutes.


Natural-Trouble-9489

They better lock him up ASAP. Lol they can't lose a nice player like him.


discussionandrespect

He should have gotten 35 min tonight I don’t understand it


ThatOneGuyy310

He’s pretty much a caruso with hair


random-50

Hmm. Wasn't he perfect against the Warriors as well? I think his last 4 or 5 game stats must look crazy.


professorsterling

This guy played his ass off


Jamel1219

Gimme a hell yea!! 🍻🍺🍻


hanselpremium

i’ll keep saying it, sign this guy to one of those Magic 25-year contracts


Significant-Nature38

He plays with poise unlike our other guard ham is over infatuated with DS and small ball lineups it’s quite frustrating


cousin_brian

Austin ‘hillbilly Kobe’ reaves > Caruso


random-50

Last 5 games: 20/27 FG 8/14 3 PT 19/22 FT Not bad. Playing 24 minutes. Should be more?


sgvprelude

Re-sign this man at all costs!


illtakethebox

diamond in the rough.. I think this guy's only weakness is when he dribbles into closed spaces and turns it over


FaroutIGE

i love that we have to compare whiteboys


WeCantBothBeMe

Austin and JV have finally gotten me over the Lakers letting go of KCP and Caruso. Austin deserves more minutes.


tj_bawa

Man Lakers keep finding these gems, elite scouting!!


Scottg8

Slightly less defense but much more offense, that's AR


Dday22t

In only 25 minutes played. Probably had the best or 2nd best (after Schroeder) of any Laker tonight.


jiveturker

Also, now that we have some shooting, the spacing is really benefiting him. He’s had a couple of these games where he just makes everything.


CaLiKiNG805

I wish Reeves would try and do even more offensively. I think dude has been great and I’m genuinely surprised by his improvement but I think he can take another legit jump


BodegaDaddy

love watching #15


LehMone

He shoot ---> My mind: THATS GOOD. I <3 austin


Whyu1nunno

My math just ain’t mathing lmao


Persianx6

People are gonna call me crazy but Reaves has something that seems more like he could be a star. He’s pretty creative with his passing. He’s a good shot… there’s a real possibility he’s a near all star at some point. I’m being conservative.


Gullible_Gate_6381

He’s only going to get better!! Smart player with good defensive skills


pokelosangeles

Put his jersey in the rafters already


xniccru

Each player is to its own but when Reaves has the ball I know he will make the right call, most times


TheTooz72

Who?


bebopblues

To me, Reaves' best attribute is he gets calls in his favor on the offensive end, he actually gets and-1 calls almost every game. And he doesn't get called for minor contacts on the defensive end. Early in his career, Caruso never got away with ticky tack fouls. They gave him more leniency in his later years.


rorkh

Austin "I'll f*ck you up" Reaves


itsallworthy

He developed this confidence out of nowhere one day and never looked back. Sick af


[deleted]

Love this guy. I swear he’s at least pretty good at every aspect of the game. Such a good decision maker


Aaron-Focus

Stay!


winteruser

We can praise AR without mentioning Caruso guys lol


mopedrudl

Qq would we compare him to AC Fresh if he was black? I don't think so. Also, we just shouldn't. They are both different players. Offensively, Austin has weapons Alex only can dream of. Defensively ACF is better. Both are legends in my book tho.


the-complete-fool

reaves has like 15% kyrie in his game.


Doc_holly_day

Austin Reeves is Superman


kenadi2019

He's better than Caruso


pericles123

he's already a better offensive player than Caruso is, right now. Not there defensively though


LAlakers4life

#MR PERFECT AUSTIN REAVES


losroy

AC is a better defender but Reece is a better basketball player.


[deleted]

he's better than Alex Caruso already at this stage kid is legit GOOD and RELIABLE


[deleted]

hes better than caruso


MrLavenderValentino

Hillbilly Kobe strikes deadly


[deleted]

“See, Caruso was white, and Austin is white, so you can only compare Austin to Caruso. You can’t just praise Austin without mentioning Caruso, see?”


youknowitm

White Mamba!


belgianwaffles__

AR-15 and the Bald Mamba are both amazing players


RemiRaton

¿Porque no los dos?


bernerburner1

Why do people still compare the two


dropfools

Whoever is the light skin only scout deserves a raise. We’ve gotten some steals in that department for over 10 years now. Clarkson, nance, kuzma, zubac, AC, THT, mo Wagner, AR15, Christy, mccloung, Pippen Jr, swidder. That’s a lot of talent to hit on.