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Alex Caruso never takes a matchup with LeBron James lightly.
After spending three years as James’ teammate — including a run to the NBA title in 2020 — Carusois familiar with what it takes to face one of the best players in league history.
When James and the Los Angeles Lakers come to the United Center to play the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Caruso knows his team will be energized for the matchup.
“You play certain players, certain teams, it’s easy to get up for those games,” Caruso said. “Anytime one of the best players to ever play the game comes into your arena, you’re gonna be ready.”
James is still dominating the league in the 21st season of his NBA career. This is the same player who scored 25 points in his debut at age 18. Two decades later, he is still a top-15 scorer in the league, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game.
For Caruso, those statistics aren’t shocking — but he cherishes a reminder to appreciate the longevity of James’ career.
“It doesn’t surprise me but I have to put it in perspective and understand how great it is,” Caruso said. “Because you see it from him year after year after year after year. You can get blinded by the greatness that he puts up. It speaks for itself, how great it is. And it’s fun to watch as a basketball player outside of me having a relationship with him.”
James, 38, still draws the same attention from fans and defenders, but his style of play has visibly changed over the last decade of his career. He makes a higher rate of shots from behind the arc while relying less on physicality to force his way to the rim. He still centers his scoring on seeking shots in the paint, but he’s also developed a keen sense of ball movement that feeds the entire Lakers offense.
This adaptability is part of what Caruso, 29, respects about his former teammate.
Chicago Tribune Sports
“That’s been the thing in his career — he’s gotten better and he’s changed his game,” Caruso said. “He used to be all downhill, mixed in a couple shots. Now he’s shooting the ball really well, playing post-up, facilitating like he does.
”But you expect nothing less. He’s been one of the smartest players to play the game. He’s smart enough to figure out what he needs to get better at and put the work in to get there.”
Despite the size difference, the 6-foot-5, 186-pound Caruso is expected to shoulder the defensive assignment of attempting to shut down the 6-foot-9 James on Wednesday. Caruso knows the matchup will be a challenge — especially physically.
“I try to hope he doesn’t catch it on the block because he’s, like, 270 (pounds),” Caruso joked.
But overcoming a size disadvantage is Caruso’s defensive specialty. He utilizes a mix of tactics — fronting to cut off passes, swatting at the ball to keep players from getting into a comfortable stance, using his lower center of gravity to bump big men off balance — to diffuse players like Kevin Durant.
Caruso said he’ll enter Wednesday’s game with the understanding that James will score plenty of points. But his goal for the Bulls is to repeat a team defensive performance like Monday, when they kept Joel Embiid from successfully clinching a Philadelphia 76ers comeback in the fourth quarter.
“I just try to make it hard on him,” Caruso said. “He’s one of those guys like Joel (Embiid) tonight — you do your best, they’re going to get their average. So it’s just about going out there and competing, trying to make it difficult.”