Alex Caruso knows better than most what makes LeBron James dangerous in the playoffs.
Ahead of Game two between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, Caruso spoke about the challenge of facing his former teammate instead of sharing the floor with him.
Caruso spent four seasons playing alongside James in Los Angeles and was part of the Lakers’ 2020 championship team.
Now, with Oklahoma City trying to take complete control of the series, the veteran guard admitted preparing for James from the opposite bench is a completely different experience.
“Yeah, it’s different,” Caruso said, via Michael Martin. “You know, just knowing and understanding that he’s always ready for the moment. Everyone likes to talk about his age, but it’s still LeBron James. He’s very capable of being the best player on the court any given night, you know, that he’s playing the game, so just having that respect for him, and then understanding that he’s very smart, and he uses the game to his advantage a lot, with putting guys in position to create advantage and then take away advantage on the other end.”
Even with Luka Doncic still sidelined and Austin Reaves struggling to consistently find rhythm, James nearly carried the Lakers to a better result in Game one.
Caruso and the Thunder know Game two represents a huge opportunity before the series shifts to Los Angeles for Games three and four. A win would give Oklahoma City a commanding 2-0 lead, while the Lakers are desperately searching for answers without Doncic available.
Still, Caruso made it clear nobody inside the Thunder locker room is overlooking James simply because he is in his 40s.
“It’s still LeBron James,” Caruso repeated.
That level of respect says everything about the challenge Oklahoma City still expects from one of the greatest players the league has ever seen.
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