Oklahoma City’s trade acquisition of Alex Caruso was one of the best moves of the NBA offseason: the Thunder added an elite defender who can hit the 3-pointer, has championship experience and fits their style of play perfectly.
The fact that we’re talking about Caruso as a player at that level is a major accomplishment. He went undrafted out of Texas A&M, got a training camp contract with the Thunder that first year, but spent most of that season playing for the Oklahoma City Blue of the G-League (under current Thunder coach Mark Daigneault). The following year, Caruso landed a two-way contract with the Lakers, where his game grew, and he parlayed that opportunity into the career he has now.
What changed? How did he do it? Caruso created LeBron James and the confidence he gave Caruso in Los Angeles. Here’s what Caruso had to say he said when speaking to Texasags.com (part of Texas Ags Radio) (Hat tip Hoops Rumors). Caruso returned to College Station for a golf tournament that will mark the start of his charitable foundation.
“LeBron James’ love gave me confidence. For it to come from someone of that stature, someone so smart and skilled, the face of the NBA and arguably the greatest of all time, it means a lot. It gave me the self-confidence to believe that what I was doing was the right thing. It helped me believe that what I did well could contribute and be a deciding factor in NBA games. All I ever wanted was to be there at the end of the game and have a chance to win.”
Caruso is heading to a team that most pundits will consider the team to beat in the West. The Thunder are the No. 1 team in the conference from last season and added Caruso and center Isaiah Hartenstien. Caruso spoke to those expectations.
“I think the Thunder’s success last year speaks for itself. Being first in the West is a difficult task because of the sheer amount of talent in the Western Conference. It’s weird now because we added some pieces in the offseason and re-signed some of the young guys. Isaiah Harteinstein and I are both phenomenal basketball players who can fit in very well with the team. Looking at it on paper, we do a lot of things that those guys need and that will help us be successful.”
On paper, the Thunder are the team to beat in the West this season. The challenge is that it’s a deep conference where OKC will face Dallas, Minnesota, Denver and others (including LeBron and his Lakers). Still, the Thunder are in position to play for a title.
Caruso will be a big part of that, and a big part of any serious playoff run they put together.