There was one man LeBron James couldn’t stop talking about during his breakdown of the Thunder’s Game 5 win… and it wasn’t Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The name that popped up, over and over? Alex Caruso. It’s the same name that’s quietly haunted Lakers fans for three years now. A player they let walk, now thriving, vital, and four wins from a championship. And suddenly, all eyes aren’t just on the Thunder’s defense… they’re on the decisions that let him go.
Because when your defense is built on hustle, sacrifice, and split-second reads, AC is your north star. And even when the shot goes in, it’s the process that tells the truth. “One of my favorite plays uh from yesterday while watching the game… AC was guarding the ball on the left wing,” LeBron said, breaking it all down like a coach. “I believe he was guarding Anthony Edwards… and Anthony Edwards was able to get middle and obviously we know—we don’t want anyone getting middle. But Anthony Edwards is such a dynamic offensive player it’s going to happen from time to time.”
Now pause. That’s where most defenses bend. But OKC didn’t flinch. “AC… he went middle and there was a guy at the nail that helped at the nail. He gave full body help—full body help—at the nail and made Anthony Edwards get off to it, hit the guy in the wing,” LeBron James continued. “And there was a defender in the corner… rotated all the way… to take away that shot at the wing.”
Sep 6, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with guard Alex Caruso (4) after their win over the Houston Rockets in game two of the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 117-109. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
And Caruso? He didn’t freeze, didn’t point fingers. He ran through the action. Around the perimeter. From the wing, through the corner, to challenge the shot, all while starting the play as the on-ball defender. And LeBron? He confirmed it. “Instead of AC just standing and watching… he ran through the corner,” LeBron emphasized. “And Julius Randle actually made this three, right? But the percentages when it comes to that effort—they’re going to win that percentage.”
That’s the thing, OKC’s defense doesn’t ask for perfection. It demands connection. And Caruso, in that moment, embodied it. This is a guy who’s been doing it for years, and now he’s doing it in the Finals.
Why LeBron’s praise for Alex Caruso sums up OKC’s winning formula
But while the Thunder were punching their ticket to the NBA Finals, Lakers fans were reliving a front-office fumble that still hasn’t aged well. When Alex Caruso’s name started trending post-Game 5, Magic Johnson quickly hopped on X with a nostalgic shoutout: “Once a Laker, always a Laker. Congratulations former Laker and NBA champion Alex Caruso who now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is headed to the NBA Finals!” Classy? Sure. But also gasoline on a fanbase fire. Because no matter how nice the tribute sounded, it stirred up an ongoing rage: Why did the Lakers let him go?
The target of that resentment? Jeanie Buss. Caruso had been a cult hero in L.A.—undrafted, gritty, and beloved for his role in the 2020 bubble title. Yet in 2021, Buss and the front office reportedly passed on keeping him over what amounted to a minor luxury tax hit.
Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) celebrates with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
And now, what LeBron James saw wasn’t just a brilliant defensive play. It was a system working like muscle memory. Oklahoma City isn’t improvising out there, but running on trust, reps, and elite basketball IQ. Coincidence? Surely not. That’s just the Thunder blueprint. “Now I don’t know because I’ve played with AC—I don’t know if that’s built in from their, you know, what they do every day, shell defense—or that’s just AC being AC,” LeBron added.
It’s both. Mark Daigneault built his defense to absorb and elevate elite talent using unbending principles. Close out hard, show at the nail, rotate with intention, don’t spectate…you know the works. And Caruso? He lives in that mindset. His reads are second-nature. “He’s so intellectual, he’s so smart,” LeBron said. “If my teammate is helping me… put a full body at the nail… I gave up middle… I can’t stand and watch. I got to get to the corner and help my team. We’re going to be weak somewhere else.” That’s defensive literacy. That’s AC being fluent in Thunder-ese. And it’s not just theory—it’s what has carried OKC this far.
His average playoff stats? 8.8 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. And when even LeBron James, who’s seen every coverage ever drawn, takes time to break down your rotation frame by frame on a podcast, that’s not hype. That’s respect. “That was just amazing to see,” LeBron said. “You keep playing defense like that—that’s not going to beat us. That’s just not going to beat us.”
And that’s the point. If Alex Caruso is doing that on every possession, someone else is cracking under pressure and breaking the rhythm. But not Oklahoma City. Because in this Thunder defense, there’s no room for standing and watching. Only for running and winning, on a string.
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