Former Lakers Role Player Reflects On How LeBron James' Arrival Impacted Team

The arrival of LeBron James to your Los Angeles Lakers immediately expedited the developmental timeline of the 2018-19 team's younger players.

One player who benefitted greatly from the arrival of the 19-time All-Star small forward was current All-Defensive First Team Chicago Bulls combo guard Alex Caruso, then still hoping to eventually become a full-time NBA player while on his second two-way contract with the Lakers.

Caruso explained how James' arrival helped him cement his own place in the league, during a new conversation with The Ringer's Ryen Russillo on his eponymous podcast.

"Bron's Bron, so he's playing 'cause he just is a freak and plays basketball every day of the week," Caruso said. "We started playing together and my IQ on what I was seeing and [what] he was seeing was kind of similar. Obviously he's a lot smarter at that time and still now. But I was able to read the game based off of the openings... how teams would guard him. I'm coming off the pick-and-roll with him setting [the pick]. They're not worried about me they're worried about him. So I'm just walking to the lane shooting layups."

"When he has the ball everyone's staring," Caruso said. "I'm a good cutter so I'm making off-ball cuts. He's a phenomenal passer so he's just hitting me [with] easy layups. It was just one of those things where my game really complimented him, and the things that I could do I think just fit in well, and I think he started to realize that over those last couple games, when there maybe wasn't as much high-IQ basketball being played around him that season as he would like. I think it was kind of a fresh take for him to realize, 'Oh this guy knows what he's doing... he knows how to play the game, might as well keep him around.'"

Caruso would go on to become a critical point-of-attack defender for the eventual 2020 champion Lakers, led by James and Anthony Davis. He left for the Bulls as a free agent in 2021, after the Lakers opted to prioritize re-signing... Talen Horton-Tucker. Oops.

Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!