Alex Caruso on what he learned from LeBron James while with Lakers
Alex Caruso on what he learned from LeBron James while with Lakers
The Oklahoma City Thunder may be down two games to one in the NBA Finals after their Game 3 loss to the Indiana Pacers, but they're not exactly out. Game 4 is on Friday, and if they win, they will regain home-court advantage with two of the following three contests taking place in their house.
Their bench got severely outscored — 49-18 to be exact — in Game 3, but as usual, Alex Caruso was one reserve who performed well. He scored eight points and added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 32 minutes.
Caruso, of course, won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019-20 season, and Lakers fans are still mad that he left in free agency a year later. He said that he learned plenty during that time from LeBron James, especially when it comes to how to prepare and take care of his body.
"Just the ability to be a pro. To go get your treatment, to eat right, to sleep, get in your recovery tights. The competitive greatness that he has that I've picked up from him and other guys has been a good addition to my mentality," Caruso said about what he learned from James. "But really just being a pro. Being a pro's pro. I think we played over a hundred games as a team now this year, not including practices, not including travel days. All that stuff adds up. Just being a pro, making sure I'm taking care of my body, my mind and bringing others with me."
The guard is a real-life rags-to-riches story, NBA style. He went undrafted in 2016 out of Texas A&M University, and his first official NBA action didn't come until the 2017-18 season with the Lakers. But they believed in him and developed him, and he made his name with them before long.
Since leaving L.A., he has continued to improve his game. His defense has improved to the point where he made one of the All-Defensive teams in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, and his 3-point shooting has somewhat improved.
Even if he doesn't end up claiming his second Larry O'Brien Trophy in the coming days, he should have a good shot at doing so over the next few years.
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