Alex Caruso says LeBron’s love and support gave him the confidence to become the player he is

Oklahoma City’s trade for Alex Caruso was one of the best moves of the NBA season, bringing in an elite defender who can make three-pointers, has championship experience and fits their style of play perfectly.

That we’re even talking about Caruso as a player at that level is a major accomplishment. He went undrafted out of Texas A&M, signed to a training camp contract with the Thunder that first year, but spent most of that season playing for the Oklahoma City Blue of the G-League (under current Thunder coach Mark Daigneault). The following year, Caruso signed a two-way contract with the Lakers, where his game grew and he parlayed that opportunity into the career he has today.

What changed? How did he do it? Caruso created LeBron James and the confidence he gave Caruso in Los Angeles. Here’s what Caruso he said when speaking to Texasags.com (part of Texas Ags radio) (hat tip Hoops Rumors). Caruso was back in College Station for a golf tournament marking the launch of his charity.

“LeBron James’ love gave me confidence. As someone of that stature, someone that smart and skilled and the face of the NBA, and arguably the greatest of all time, that means a lot. It gave me the confidence in myself to believe that what I was doing was right. It helped me believe that what I was good at, I could contribute and be a game-changer in NBA games. All I ever wanted was to be on the court at the end of the game and have a chance to win.”

Caruso is joining a team that most experts consider the team to beat in the West. The Thunder, which finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the conference and added Caruso and center Isaiah Hartenstien, spoke to those expectations.

“I think the Thunder’s success last year speaks for itself. To be first in the West is a tall order because of the buzzsaw and the talent in the Western Conference. It’s strange now because we added some players in the offseason and re-signed some young guys. Isaiah Harteinstein and I are phenomenal basketball players and fit in really well with the team. On paper, we’re doing a lot of the things those guys need to be successful.”

On paper, the Thunder are the team to beat in the West this season. The challenge is that this is a deep conference where OKC will be challenged by Dallas, Minnesota, Denver and others (including LeBron and his Lakers). Still, the Thunder are in position to play for a title.

Caruso will play a major role in that, and a major role in any serious playoff run they make.