CacRuso needs to start, both him and AB were shooting poorly, so it’s not like there’ll be a drop off w/ Ruso
If Caruso was hitting like he did last year then Cook would be in the bushes already. What the hell happened to him - was last year a fluke or is he going to pull those %'s back up this season?
I'd probably start Rondo just because the 2nd unit needs Caruso's skill set more than the first unit does. If Rondo is still waiting for the playoffs to play defense, then pairing him with Cook or Daniels and Kuzma could get ugly. Put Rondo in the starting lineup where you have Green/LeBron/AD to keep the defense under control and let him take some pressure off LeBron initiating the offense. Give Caruso extra minutes with the 2nd unit so he can defend opposing guards and do some of everything.
You could very well play Caruso more minutes than Rondo, I'm just talking which unit those minutes are weighted towards.