Alex Caruso opened up on how LeBron James‘ influence over him during their shared time on the Lakers from 2018 to 2021 helped him get the confidence he needed to have success in the NBA.
“Coming from someone of that stature, someone who is that smart and skilled and the face of the NBA, and arguably the greatest of all time, that means a lot. It gave me the confidence in myself to believe that what I was doing was right. It helped me believe that what I was good at could contribute and be a deciding factor in NBA games. All I ever wanted was to be out there at the end of the game and have a chance to win.”
Caruso averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists through three years on the Lakers. He came through their developmental system before breaking out towards the end of the 2018-19 season, LeBron’s first year on the Lakers. He was a key rotational member for their championship season in 2019-20.
The Lakers made an erroneous mistake by letting him walk when he wanted to stay on the team in the 2021 offseason, with Caruso signing an offer sheet with the Bulls while the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook. Letting Caruso walk was one of the biggest mistakes by the front office in this era, as Caruso has become a bonafide All-Defense guard who will now be on the rival OKC Thunder next season.
LeBron James Is A Bargain For The Lakers
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss recently gave an interview to Petros and Money on AM 570 LA Sports where she discussed LeBron James, who extended his contract with the Lakers this offseason. While discussing his summer representing Team USA at the Olympics, Buss asserted that James’ $48.7 million deal is a bargain for the franchise.
“I think he’s so competitive, it’s really gotta be something that he wants to do. We always support our players in the decisions that they make in regard to playing for their national team or not. It was something that was important to LeBron and yes, he is our highest-paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me. He’s absolutely amazing.”
Buss said that the Lakers would likely pay James even more if they weren’t in a salary-cap league, comparing James to both Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
“Because we’re a salary cap league, there’s only so much that we can pay him. He brings us the notoriety in the league but also internationally. He’s a huge star and he’s a great leader for this team. It’s the same as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant because we’re in a capped league, and they probably should have been paid twice what they get. But we can only pay him the maximum.”
James is making less than the maximum contract for his age, taking a slight pay cut to help the team come under the luxury tax after the Lakers failed to make any real offseason moves. He was willing to take a more substantial cut if the team could sign the right players, but they blanked on all targets.
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