Alex Caruso is once again playing a pivotal role for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they look to become the first repeat champions since 2018. His performance against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers was nothing short of masterful, even if the stats don’t jump off the page, as it’s always been with Caruso.
He was tasked with guarding James for much of the series, and it reminded the 41-year-old superstar — as well as all Lakers fans — just how impactful he can be, and how much they miss the player that helped them win the 2020 NBA Championship. James discussed playing against Caruso in a highly competitive environment.
“Oh absolutely. I miss him every single day,” James said on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast. “I miss AC every single day. To be able to just compete against him in a playoff series, it’s everything. I know one thing for sure, two things for certain, if you wanna compete, AC is gonna be right there. He’s gonna get up underneath you, he’s gonna grab you, he’s gonna hold you, he’s gonna compete and he’s gonna do it at a professional level.
“AC’s not gonna beat himself, so you have to play that chess game with AC. Understanding where he is on the floor. He’s damn good with his hands, you can’t play with the ball around him, because he will take it from you. So you gotta be very strategic with your movements. Offensively, you have to be very strategic with your body positioning with him. But it was great to get the chance to compete against him, to see him come off the bench every time, I already knew he was guarding me every time he came off the bench. No matter if Dort was on the floor or not, I knew AC was gonna check me because we’ve got so much history. It was fun, man, I loved that.”
Caruso was arguably one of the best teammates James ever had. His combination of perimeter defense, clutch 3-point shooting, athleticism and playoff rising made him an ideal fit next to James, and it led to an NBA title in their second season as teammates.
He is now doing all of that for the Thunder, after the Lakers let him walk in free agency years ago.
LeBron James explains what makes Victor Wembanyama special
James spoke about the Western Conference Finals at large, and what makes San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama special. He took attention away from his height, saying that there have been tall players before who can’t do what the Spurs star does.
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