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EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: (L-R) President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers speak to the media during a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center on May 12, 2026 in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

He may not be that guy with a horseshoe-shaped hairstyle any more, but he is very much that same player whose exit Los Angeles Lakers fans dread everyday.

As the Lakers sit and watch the intensity of the NBA playoffs unfold, a name they probably keep hearing is Alex Caruso. 

When he is getting his jersey dirty hitting the ground, he is deflecting loose basketballs off the opposition and immediately delighting the home fans. 

And when he isn’t doing that, he is hitting countless 3-pointers and being the player his team wonders where they would’ve been without.

That’s exactly why Melissa Rohlin of the California Post has tabbed Caruso’s Lakers exit as one of the franchises forgettable moves of the last decade.

“Alex Caruso is one of the Lakers’ biggest mistakes of the last decade,” Rohlin wrote. “He’s a laser. He’s a defensive wizard. He pours his heart into every possession. He’s a winner. And the Lakers let him walk. The team’s egregious mistake was highlighted in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Spurs.”

Bad Memories Surface for Lakers Amid Playoffs

What’s worse is that the Lakers were just swept out of the playoffs by the team Caruso now represents, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 05: Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during the fourth quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game One of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 05, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)

Now on to the conference finals to defend their NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder didn’t have much going offensively. 

But they had Caruso. Or as Hall of Famer Reggie Miller kept referring to him as on the NBC/Peacock broadcast, “Mr. Chaos.”

“Caruso was the best player on the court for the Thunder even though he was playing alongside two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Rohlin wrote. “It was Caruso who had a team-high 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting from the field, 8-for-14 from beyond the arc, two steals and two blocked shots. It was the 6-foot-5 Caruso who was trusted to guard the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama. … Coming off the bench, he had the second-highest scoring performance of his career. He gritted his teeth and slowed down a defender who’s a foot taller than him.”

His impact wasn’t limited to what he did on the court; when Caruso went back to the bench, his vocal leadership delivered the kind of value all true champion contenders possess. 

In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, Caruso may not score 31 points. He may not even crack 15, or even 10, but he’ll have seven deflections, 11 rebounds, three steals and get the crowd in a roar a handful of times. 

Revisiting Caruso’s Time in L.A.

GettyAlex Caruso and LeBron James high five during the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

It felt like it started on one unassuming day. 

It was the Lakers at home playing the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. 

The Lakers were going through one of the most turbulent seasons in franchise history despite signing LeBron James as a free agent in the previous offseason.

With James watching from the bench in street clothes, Caruso, then more heralded for his balding than this play, parachuted in to slam the basketball through the hoop off a missed shot over Kevin Durant.

He became known as the CaruShow.

Caruso was a vital piece in the Lakers’ title-winning season just a year later. He served as the classic 3-and-D guy, but his impact was screaming on most nights. 

After the following season, Caruso exited the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent, a move fans may never forgive general manager Rob Pelinka for. 

Caruso knew his value. The Lakers, apparently, did not. Not then, but now they do.