The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to bounce back from their loss to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, losing to the Detroit Pistons 111-97 at the Little Caesars Arena on Friday.
Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from the game.
The Good: Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso continued to make the most of his minutes with the Lakers on Friday, tying his career-high in points (16) while showing off his 3-point range.
He wasn’t as sharp as he usually is on the defensive end, but he still managed to post an even net rating. For context, Rajon Rondo ended the night with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but posted a -25.1 net rating. Since the All-Star break, he’s a -14.7.
While Rondo has more experience in the league and is getting paid more by the Lakers, Caruso probably deserves to start at this point.
The Bad: The starting five
With LeBron James sidelined for Friday’s game and both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram ruled out for the season, Lakers head coach Luke Walton was forced to roll out his 21st starting lineup of the season. To very little surprise, it wasn’t their most successful starting five he’s assembled.
Everyone in the starting lineup posted a negative box plus-minus, including Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee, who had the two worst BPM on the team. Granted, it’s not uncommon for players to post a negative BPM in a blowout loss, but considering there were a handful players that still had a positive impact, like Alex Caruso and Johnathan Williams, they don’t necessarily get a pass.
