Alex Caruso was an essential piece in the Thunder’s title quest last season and he is still a key element today. But when he arrived in Oklahoma City from Chicago in a trade for Josh Giddey, the former Laker didn’t make a great first impression on his teammates. In any case not to Jaylin Williams et Cason Wallaceboth present with Caruso in an episode of the podcast “The Young Man and the Three”.
“My first impression of Alex on the pitch…I thought he was bad. I’m not going to lie”admits Wallace, hilarious.
“We did pick up games during preparation and he played three matches out of the 7 or 8, I think. Obviously, I tried to trash talk him. ‘Are you scared or what, old man?’ Each time, he replied: ‘Do you want me to be there now or in June?’continues Williams.
In his defense, Alex Caruso explains: “This season again, before it started, I told them that I needed the season to start because I’m a really bad practice player. I got to a point today where, if there’s not the stakes of a real match, it’s hard for me to get up to speed. […] My CV speaks for me, I have been here for a long time. The pick up games in September, we don’t really care (laughs)”.
Alex Caruso probably took a little while to get on the radars in the NCAA and NBA for this very reason. Besides the fact that he doesn’t necessarily look like much physically, he is one of those players who gives the best of themselves during matches rather than in training. Fortunately, the Lakers, the Bulls and now the Thunder were at one point lucid enough to understand this. Caruso is the veteran of the Thunder locker room, a two-time NBA champion and one of the best defenders in the league. We can forgive him for not giving 100% in matches for nothing…
