Before making a name for himself with the Lakers, Alex Caruso had already played for the Thunder or rather the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League where he was coached by Mark Daigneault. At the time, he never got his chance in OKC and he would have to wait until his second season in ” two-way contract ” to the Lakers, alongside LeBron James and his gang so that Alex Caruso could reveal himself.
And to reach his full potential, the leader had the help of one of the stars of “LA”, and not the least. It was LeBron James himself who gave Alex Caruso a lot of confidence.
“LeBron James' affection gave me confidence. Coming from someone of that stature, someone who is that smart and talented and the face of the NBA, and arguably the greatest player of all time, it means a lot,” Alex Caruso believes. “It gave me the confidence to understand that what I was doing was right. It helped me believe that my abilities could contribute and be a deciding factor in the NBA. All I ever wanted was to be on the court at the end of the game and have a chance to win.”. »
It's his turn to supervise the young people
Today, his defensive skills and his outside address have allowed him to establish himself in the NBA and to be on the All-Defensive Team for two seasons. Caruso has just joined the team that finished in first place in the West last season, and he is therefore returning to Oklahoma City and hopes to help the franchise do better than a conference semifinal.
“I think the Thunder's success last year speaks for itself,” recognizes the former Bulls. “Being first in the West is a tough task because of the wealth of talent in the Western Conference. It's even tougher now because we added pieces in the offseason and extended some of the younger players.”
The Thunder made relatively little movement this offseason. But trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso will bring a little more experience to a young roster. It will be his turn to help the youngsters reach their full potential. Just like the arrival of Isaiah Hartenstein, who had a full season protecting the Knicks' rim last season.
“Isaiah Harteinstein and I are outstanding basketball players who can fit in very well with the team,” Caruso concludes. “On paper, we do a lot of things that these guys need to do to help us be successful.”
