Alex Caruso Explains Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Built Differently Than Other Stars

Alex Caruso knows what it takes to win in the NBA. He has two NBA championships with two different teams, and has played with guys like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Caruso has gotten to watch how some of the best players ever approach the game. 

Caruso recently spoke about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s work ethic, and it became very clear why SGA is so great.

"Shai comes in every day like he's trying to make the team. He is the most competitive guy on our team, day in, day out…There'll be days in the middle of the season, we'll have practice and everyone's kind of lagging through practice, and then he gets one play and he's yelling and asking people to guard him harder…It's really fun to be his teammate and get to be around that because it's infectious. That's the kind of teammate I want to play with. That's the kind of leader I want to play with."

There are only a handful of NBA stars who can demand that everyone be great around them. They are the ones who are working so hard themselves that their teammates can’t complain, and SGA puts his money where his mouth is. 

Led by SGA, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going in as title favorites, despite winning a championship just a few months ago. Repeating is a difficult thing to do. The last team to go back-to-back was the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. 

Although it may be a tall task, it sounds like the SGA and the Thunder are up for it. SGA has made it clear that he isn’t satisfied with one championship. He wants to win more, and from Caruso’s comments, it seems like he will continue demanding greatness from everyone around him. Those are the type of leaders that win…a lot.