When the Los Angeles Lakers traded multiple young assets for Anthony Davis the last offseason, there was a lot of buzz about who would end up being the team’s third star behind him and LeBron James.
People thought that they’d make a run at Kawhi Leonard or another star via trade or free agency, with figures like Carmelo Anthony reportedly looming around. Others claimed that Kyle Kuzma should be the team’s third scoring option after his breakout in his second year, something that never happened.
That’s why Alex Caruso tried to shut down that narrative following the Lakers’ impressive win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals vs. the Miami Heat, fueled by some big-time shots by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope:
“Our third star is whoever has the open shot…tonight it was KCP…it’s just about being ready to shoot,” Caruso told the media, as quoted by SLAM.
The Lakers have meshed perfectly since the start of the season and they look like a strong unit going forward. Even though they have two of the best players in the world, there’s no ego or a lack of trust in their teammates.
Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have vastly struggled with their shot all year long, yet they continue to get their looks, James and Davis continue to trust them to execute down the stretch, and that’s what you want to see on a team.
Even coach Frank Vogel recognized and praised their team-first mentality following their win. That’s one of the reasons why they’re one win away from their 17th title:
“We’re a team first team. We trust all of our teammates. We trust all five guys on the court to make big plays and that’s what happened tonight in the fourth,” Vogel said.
The Lakers still have to finish the job vs. a hard-fighting, resilient team, so it’s nice to see that they’re all on the same page ahead of the most important game of the decade for Lakers’ nation.
