Richard Jefferson spoke honestly about the OKC Thunder’s defensive wiz Alex Caruso guarding Shaquille O’Neal.
Alex Caruso has made a name for himself as one of the elite defenders in the NBA. The former NBA champion has become a premier defensive stalwart.
Caruso emerged as a serious star during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he established himself as the team’s best perimeter defender.
As a player, it’s not easy to earn the trust of LeBron James. But Caruso did, and it led him to an NBA championship win in 2020.
Now with the Thunder, Caruso has a chance to do it again. But how would Caruso fare guarding a different Lakers legend?
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Richard Jefferson spoke on the Road Trippin podcast about Alex Caruso’s brilliant defensive performance against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Jefferson wanted any talk of all-time defensive player to calm down surrounding Caruso, as while Jokic is great, he isn’t as big and dominant as Shaquille O’Neal.
“We can all sit here and say Jokic is on his way to being a top 10, top 15 player of all-time. Caruso wasn’t guarding Shaq. He was guarding Jokic, and Jokic is heavy. Jokic is a monster. He wasn’t guarding Shaq.”
When asked who he thinks could have aptly guarded Shaquille O’Neal during his career, Richard Jefferson simply responded, “a minivan.”
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Of course, it is very harsh to assess a player’s defensive attributes based on how they would guard Shaquille O’Neal.
No one could stop Shaq on the floor. At best, they could limit the damage he would cause while trying to outdo him on the offensive end.
Caruso has shown that on his day, he can guard all five positions on the court, despite being a slightly undersized guard.
If the OKC Thunder win the NBA championship, it will be in large part due to Alex Caruso’s brilliant defensive performances.
