Alex Caruso shares why Timberwolves remind him of title-winning Lakers

There’s been a good amount of discussion surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves since their acquisition of Rudy Gobert two weeks ago. While skeptics believe the pairing of Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert is a less than ideal fit, others see it differently.

You can count Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso as someone who sees the Timberwolves’ vision with this move. Caruso recently went on JJ Redick’s podcast “The Old Man and the Three” and talked about the Timberwolves, comparing them to the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers team he played for that took home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Caruso had praise for Minnesota’s intent to start Gobert at the five while allowing KAT to play at power forward. “It reminds me a lot of the LA team when we won the championship,” he said. “We would start Anthony Davis at the four and save his body a little bit, and not have him bang with the fives the whole season. It just reminds me of us having JaVale (McGee) and Dwight (Howard) to do some of that dirty work.”

He also complimented the interplay of Gobert and Towns with their differing skillsets: “I think the fit is great. Because Gobert does all the things that KAT doesn’t really do well, and KAT does things that Gobert doesn’t do well. It’s a good mesh.” That’s certainly high praise from someone who played on a championship team and saw a similar system reach the NBA mountaintop.

JJ Redick chimed in and offered his opinion on the Timberwolves’ outlook this season, saying that he could see them as a Western Conference contender if Anthony Edwards takes a leap.

“(Edwards) had a bunch of moments throughout the regular season and the playoffs where you’re like ‘Wow, that could be the best player on a championship level team.’ If he takes that leap consistently, they’re going to be one of the top four teams in the West,” Redick said. “If Edwards can be that guy, all of a sudden you’re talking about a Conference Finals level team.”

It was also noted by Caruso that the Timberwolves’ loss of role players like Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt wasn’t insignificant, and is something that will need replacing. Fortunately, the signings of Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes should help to offset their lost production.

It has to be encouraging for Wolves fans to hear about their team’s current situation compared to a team that achieved so much on its way to an NBA championship. The 2020 Lakers went 16-5 in the playoffs and finished the season with a record 57-0 mark when leading after three-quarters of play. If Caruso and Redick are right, we could be in for a very fun season in Minnesota.