Alex Caruso, the oldest player on the young Thunder team (31 years old), secured his second NBA championship ring after they beat the Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. A spark on the court off the bench, Caruso had crucial performances in this series, like Games 2 and 4, where his contributions ensured the Thunder won the game.
After celebrating the championship win with his Thunder teammates, Caruso spoke to the media about his initial thoughts on the second championship ring. While he may not be discounting his 2020 NBA ring himself, he feels this championship with the Thunder was tougher than the one he won with LeBron James and the Lakers.
“Yeah, now I got a real one. Now nobody can say anything. Yeah, I think just because of the way the team is constructed now versus the team I had in 2020, like it was much harder with this team just because of the experience, right? And everybody talked about you need experience, win a championship, and you need this, that, and the other. And I said multiple times through the postseason with this team that the good basketball is good basketball, winning basketball is winning basketball. And the best team can win no matter what happens.”
“If you go out there and execute and do the stuff that you need to do to win the game. And I think through the playoffs, this team grew up and learned on the fly, which most teams have to learn through losses and learn through defeats. And I think this team learned through success.”
Another reporter then asked him what he thought about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander potentially having a LeBron James-like impact on the league.
“Comparing to LeBron is a crazy start just ’cause LeBron was anointed at 18 years old and surpassed everything that has ever been put in front of him,” Caruso said. “As far as face of the league and best player on best team, SGA’s got that capability.”
Alex Caruso had 10 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but his three steals were key momentum shifters in the game. His defensive skills are more likely the reason he has an NBA contract instead of his offensive contributions. But teams should not mistake that as his inability to contribute offensively, especially from deep. He has averaged over 40% from deep in three of the eight years he has been in the league.
Of course, objectively, there can be no comparison between James and Gilgeous-Alexander as they are both at different points in time in their careers, as well as playing in different positions. But in the big picture scenario, considering how historic of a season SGA is having, he has put himself in the same conversation that LeBron James entered years ago about being the face of the league.
The 26-year-old star averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in seven games as he secured the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. While names like LeBron, Curry, and Durant still run the league’s commercial business, in terms of dominance on the court, converting to winning, Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly the face of the next generation of superstars from the NBA.
