After LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there is a strong argument the next most popular member of the Los Angeles Lakers is Alex Caruso.
In addition to popping up on highlight reels and gifs everywhere, Caruso has proven himself to be a legit NBA rotation player and one of the team’s most important pieces.
With the 2019-20 NBA season currently suspended and practice facilities shut down, players have had to find new ways to stay in shape. Players at the level of James and Davis likely have full gyms and possibly even courts at their houses, but most don’t have that luxury.
Caruso recently spoke on this subject, telling Mike Trudell of Lakers.com that his garage has turned into his workout space:
I do workouts at home in my garage … it’s pretty old school. Just a bunch of body weight stuff, some jump rope, and I have a good hill by me that I run up and down.
Caruso went further into detail about what he has at his disposal:
The physical equipment I have at my house is: four NBA basketballs; a jump rope and a multitude of resistance bands. I’m considering getting some free weights, but you can get done what you need to do with dribbling a basketball and using some resistance. It’s just a different lift. Everybody knows the normal use of weights, getting on a squat rack, or grabbing dumbbells. This is the same thing but just using a band. With the basketball, just maxing out dribbles by pounding the ball with resistance and the muscles react after a whole bunch of reps. The biggest thing about now is that nobody is going to be where they were at when we stopped playing. It’s about staying as close to normal as you can.
That last sentence is a major one that many haven’t thought about when speaking on the potential return of the season. The players will need time to get back into basketball shape and rushing them back without proper time beforehand puts them at major risk for injuries. There simply is no substitute for full-on games.
It is good to see that Caruso is doing everything in his power to stay in shape. It is this work ethic that has allowed him to grow from the G League to a two-way contract to a rotation player on a Lakers team with championship aspirations. If the NBA is able to finish out the season, Caruso will be ready to go.