As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for what will almost certainly be a difficult situation in Orlando as the NBA season resumes, the team has to figure out how they'll fill the void left by veteran guard Avery Bradley. He will not be joining the team for the rest of the 2019-20 campaign, and his presence in the backcourt will be sorely lost on both ends of the floor.
With Bradley done of the year, Alex Caruso is ready to step up his game and help fill the void left by his Lakers teammate. Caruso jumped on a Zoom call with the media in Los Angeles on Wednesday to talk about his mindset following the decision by Bradley to stay behind.
“Obviously, I understand Avery's decision,” Caruso said. “We're brothers in arms throughout the whole season and anything to support him and his family, I'm 100 percent going to do. If I had the same scenario, I'd probably make the same decision.
“As far as basketball goes, got to fill his role. Might not be one person, but this team has done a great job all year when guys have been out. Stepping up and filling a role…I'm not sure if I'm going to be the sole provider of everything that Avery did. That's a lot to ask for because of how good he is at what he does, but I'm definitely going to be ready to fill part of that gap and that need.”
With Bradley opting out of the resumption of the season, the Lakers have reportedly agreed to a deal with J.R. Smith to help provide some insurance in the backcourt. He'll join other guards like Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Quinn Cook, and fellow newcomer, Dion Waiters.
It remains to be seen who Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and his coaching staff will point to in order to shoulder the load in Bradley's absence or if it'll be by community, but Caruso seems motivated and ready to fill that role to the best of his ability when or if called upon.
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