Caruso: The combination of body shape, strength, wisdom and skill makes Alexander so hard to stop

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has a clear shadow in the game at Gilgeous-Alexander. This is intentional. Like many of his generation, Girgius Alexander considered Kobe his favorite player and studied the complexity of his game.

"It's certainly more than anyone else," Giljos-Alexander said. "I was impressed by the way he attacked the game, and I just thought he was one of the most skilled players ever. He was both one of the most skilled players ever and able to attack the game the way he did, which is why he had such a prolific scoring career. It's no coincidence. The closer I get to that level, the better I will be.

Caruso: It's the combination of size, strength, intelligence and skill that makes Girgius Alexander so hard to stop.

He is 6-55 inches tall and 6-15 inches wingspan, which gives Girgius Alexander enough length to avoid the defender. He's thin and weighs 195 pounds, but with strong strength, any defender who feels his shoulder pounding into his chest can prove it. As Caruso said, Gilgius Alexander is the “angle master” who uses a series of fake moves, turn and other tricks to create space or lure defenders to foul him. Giljos Alexander has a tight feel, and Cassel told him years ago that he can take the ball to wherever he wants to go, thus controlling the game.

"He is just lying," Cassel said. "His speed is lying. His jumping ability is deceptive. His whole game is deceiving--until he gets into you. And you said, man, he's tall. He is stronger than you think.

Nembhard was the main defender of Girgius Alexander in the finals and he was just as ready to defend the MVP as anyone. They grew up in Toronto. Nembhard knew that Girgius Alexander scored a goal regardless of the quality of the defense.

"He is physically good and flexible, so it's hard to hold on to him," Nembhard said. "And when you do that, he'll hit you. The most important thing is that he's tall, he's long, he can go over the defender. He's already practiced a lot.