Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 ways FA target Alex Caruso would help CLE

#3: Caruso would give the Cavs more athleticism and provide energy

The third way Caruso would help the Wine and Gold, if they were to sign him this offseason, would be from an athleticism/energy perspective.

The 27-year-old is a springy guard, and that leads to him getting his share of hustle plays inside on the defensive end, and his ability to track the ball leads to him getting a meaningful amount of rebounds in his rotational minutes, which shouldn’t be discounted.

He had 2.9 rebounds on average in his PT last season, but 5.0 rebounds per-36 minutes indicated that he was active on the glass, which would help Cleveland’s defense when he’s in there, I’d imagine.

And with that sort of thing in mind, I’d think that when he’s in there, if the Cavaliers were to sign him this offseason, Caruso’s rebounding and ability to snatch up loose balls on the perimeter could lead to more open floor opportunities. That could lead to some more transition points, and in turn, provide more energy off the bench/give the Wine and Gold a boost.

Moreover, even while I’d probably prefer Cleveland could go with McConnell, or if able, a bench playmaker such as Patty Mills (also from a shooting standpoint) with the MLE/a good chunk of it, if they’re then unavailable/don’t have interest, I couldn’t blame the Cavs for them signing Caruso.

He could aid them some in the backup playmaking realm, is a good defender on and off-ball, and is really athletic, which could provide a bench boost. So keep an eye on Caruso as a potential signing for the Wine and Gold, feasibly come early August, when free agency officially begins.