When Lakers faithful lost Alex Caruso to free agency — and front office incompetence — it left a hole in their fandom. Caruso had blossomed from an unknown to a player who was the x-factor in an NBA Finals decisive game.
It hurt to not just lose one of your own, but someone who was an integral part of a title-winning team and one that often felt underrated nationally. To be honest, it’s frustration that hasn’t gone away and is only a wound reopened each time the Lakers play the Bulls.
What has gone some way in easing that pain has been the emergence of Austin Reaves.