Lakers’ Alex Caruso Reveals Surprising Thoughts on GOAT Status

Getty Alex Caruso, headbanded Lakers guard

Lakers guard Alex Caruso has been called the GOAT so many times, he seems to be getting tired of it.

Sure, he knows those outside the team are saying it with some irony. Caruso has never appeared to be destined for NBA greatness. He is balding at age 26, for one thing, and wears and oversize headband. He also averages just 5.4 points in his 58 games this season. But has won over Lakers fans—as well as his own coaches and teammates—with his hustle and peskiness.

When he was asked about the GOAT label by the L.A. Times’ Arash Markazi, Caruso was nonchalant.

“It’s funny,” Caruso said. “Every time it comes up, it’s funny. It has kind of lost its pop to me because everyone on the team says it now, but when it first started happening it was funny and it was a good laugh. Everyone still enjoys it and they’re still saying it.

“The outside world might be taking it in basketball terms but I think when my teammates say it, they’re just speaking to the kind of teammate I am and the kind of guy I am. I’m just another one of the guys who happens to be really good at basketball and don’t look like I should be.”

Caruso Did Not Appear Destined for NBA

Indeed, Caruso’s background never gave much indication of a future NBA career. He averaged 8.0 points in four seasons at Texas A&M, and finished up as the school’s all-time leader in assists with 649 in 137 games. He also led the school in steals, with 276. Still, he did not garner much notice as an Aggie, though he did earn a second-team All-SEC honor as a senior.

Caruso was undrafted in 2016 and unsigned after a stint with the Sixers in the Summer League. He spent three seasons in the G-League, first with Oklahoma City and then on a two-way contract with the Lakers, where his legend took root among fans.

“It’s been a fun journey with L.A.,” Caruso said. “I came here on a two-way contract and spent my first two years on two-way deals and Lakers fans have gone through this journey with me and for them to accept me as part of the Lakers family is so special. It’s nice to be able to connect with the fans and it makes my experience that much more enjoyable when I can go out there and hear them cheering for me. I can’t wait to do that again.”

Caruso Second on Lakers in Valuable Stat

Of course, it’s gone beyond cheering from fans. Teammates have bought into Caruso’s value, too, and the numbers show why. Caruso’s On/Off number, according to Basketball-Reference.com, is plus-5.7, meaning the Lakers are 5.7 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the floor than when he is off. That is second on the team to LeBron James.

As fellow Lakers guard Danny Green said, “That’s the GOAT. I guess, in the league — I guess this is not bad to say — there’s not a lot of white guys in the league. He’s one of the very few that’s very athletic. He has a little flavor in him, he does all the dirty work, and people love that.”

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