LeBron James and Alex Caruso are on vastly different ends of the spectrum in terms of star power with the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Caruso has garnered a cult following for his sneaky athleticism and high-flying dunks, he is nowhere close to James’ stratosphere in terms of dominance and sheer impact on the Lakers.
Nevertheless, the Lakers are simply a better team when the two players share the floor.
James and Caruso have the best net plus-minus of any duo in the NBA, and James made it a mission to integrate role players like Caruso as the Lakers raced out to the best record in the Western Conference.
Caruso spoke a little bit about his relationship with LeBron during Jared Dudley’s Instagram live, saying he feels the two mesh well on the Lakers because they are “heady” basketball players.
Caruso also said he feels he is capable of raising his play alongside “transcendent” players like LeBron on the Lakers. This hardly comes as a surprise.
James is one of the smartest players in the game and has long been hailed for his tremendous basketball IQ. He also knows how to get teammates involved in the flow of the game, on top of leading the NBA in assists (10.6 per game) prior to the suspension of play.
For his part, Caruso has played his role to perfection on the Lakers.
The 26-year-old offers more than just highlight-reel dunks when he is on the floor. Caruso provides some perimeter shooting and has quietly been an improved defender as part of the defensive overhaul for the Lakers.
Every good team — and the Lakers qualify as one — needs role players like Caruso, someone who complements James’ abilities quite nicely, as evidenced by their +20.8 net rating.
