Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is currently his 23rd season and has seen and done everything in the league, knowing what it takes to be successful.
Despite being 40-years-old, James wants to continue competing for championships and it will be interesting to see if the Lakers have enough pieces to do it.
Although quality editions were made this summer, flaws are still apparent with a lack of athleticism and two-way players. A player who could help L.A. right now is former Laker Alex Caruso, who left in 2021 free agency.
He went on to win his second ring with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year and James gave Caruso flowers for the willingness to do all the little things to win. The four-time champion believes every team needs a player like that if they hope to win an NBA Finals, via his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash:
“You have guys that have been to the postseason, won in the first round, won in the second round. It’s like OK, but, who is that guy that’s gonna keep them like, OK, this is the mission, this is the mission, this is the goal. You can have the coaches who’ve been there, you can have the GM’s and look at the trophies around or the trophy. But, who is that one, who’s going to be that person that’s going to get them there. Last year with OKC, Alex Caruso. We can look at how great Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) was, well obviously. J-Dub (Jalen Williams), obviously. Chet CHolmgren), obviously. I think Alex Caruso, he was that guy. He knew how to get there, he knew what it took to get there, he knew how to stay even keel, if there was any adversity. You got to kind of have that one guy… He was guarding Joker (Nikola Jokic) in the playoffs, bro. He was literally guarding Joker on the elbow, getting elbowed in the head.”
Caruso originally got NBA Finals experience with the Lakers alongside James and Anthony Davis in 2020. When Avery Bradley opted not to go to the Bubble in Orlando, Caruso quickly elevated his play to fill that void and the trajectory of his NBA career took off.
To this day, it stings for the now two-champion not to be in purple and gold anymore, but the 23-year veteran brings up a good point. Every team needs a glue guy and L.A. is still searching and perhaps Marcus Smart can fill that role to a certain degree.
LeBron James reveals teams & players he’ll be watching on NBA League Pass
As LeBron James nears retirement, he is seeing the new era of NBA players proceeding him. Now sidelined with an injury, he revealed which teams and players he will watch this season on NBA League Pass.
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