Alex Caruso Speaks on League-Leading Plus-Minus With LeBron James

It’s clear that Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso is relishing his time with teammate LeBron James, indicating that he and James have strong chemistry when playing together.

Caruso and teammate Jared Dudley chatted during an Instagram Live session, with Caruso guessing correctly when asked which NBA duo had the best net plus-minus statistic.

Following up, Caruso then explained how he and James have been able to establish their on-court bond.

“Yeah, the plus-minus is always interesting like you said,” said Caruso in response to Dudley. “I made a joke with somebody, I can’t remember who it was, it was like ‘you always want to be on the court whenever ‘Bron goes on one of those 10-0 scoring runs by himself. That helps your plus-minus a lot.’

“But I think me and him have a, you have the same thought process too, we’re just head basketball players. Like you know spacing, you know defensive awareness, you know guys’ tendencies. I feel like me and him just have a connection of understanding the game.

“I always have done a good job when I play with better players than myself. I seem to be able to raise my game, and I can’t always do that if I’m the best player on the court. Luckily I’m not going to be the best player on the court probably for the rest of my life, so I should be able to keep this up. But like, LeBron is such a transcendent talent too, it’s almost like the simpler you keep it, the easier it is to have success.”

The plus-minus stat is defined by how a team does while that player is on the court.

In the case of Caruso and James, they’re actually tied at the top with a plus-20.8 rating for duos that have played at least 300 minutes together this season. Joining them is the Milwaukee Bucks duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Lakers and Bucks had the best records within their respective conferences when play was suspended in the NBA on March 11.

Exactly if and when the NBA will get back on the court to finish the 2020-21 season remains uncertain. However, if the Lakers and Bucks do play each other in the finals, Caruso’s chemistry with James could end up being a major factor.