Even though he was not always a starter with Chicago and only played an average of 23 minutes, Alex Caruso was elected to the best defensive five last season, along with Jrue Holiday, Jaren Jackson, Brook Lopez and Evan Mobley.
A consecration for this player who made a reputation in this area in Los Angeles, where he won the title in 2020 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“It’s really cool and it was definitely a goal,” he explains to NBC Sports. “Being in the first team is tough. We don’t get there by luck. It’s a real reward, especially in a league where the emphasis is on attack and space. I’m quite proud of it. To be elected to one of these two teams, you have to sacrifice a lot, mentally and physically, and defend against the best players in the league every night. »
Difficult to fight with interiors
Obviously, he hopes to do the double during the 2023/24 financial year. “It was gratifying to do it because the season before, I had done what I had to do to be there but I missed half the season so I was no longer in the candidates. So yes, we have to do it again this year. »
Alex Caruso does not seem to want to go further, or does not seem to be able to, because he thinks, as Austin Rivers regretted, that the defender of the year trophy is quite inaccessible for an outsider and remains the preserve of the insiders.
“When we see how the votes for this trophy are made, we see that the interiors have the advantage with blocks and rebounds. I probably don’t have the stats necessary to be considered for this title. But you never know, maybe I’ll have a huge season. »
| Alex Caruso | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 37 | 15 | 43.1 | 30.2 | 70.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 3.6 |
| 2018-19 | LAL | 25 | 21 | 44.5 | 48.0 | 79.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 9.2 |
| 2019-20 | LAL | 64 | 18 | 41.2 | 33.3 | 73.4 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 5.5 |
| 2020-21 | LAL | 58 | 21 | 43.6 | 40.1 | 64.5 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 6.4 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 41 | 28 | 39.8 | 33.3 | 79.5 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 7.4 |
| 2022-23 | CHI | 67 | 24 | 45.5 | 36.4 | 80.8 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 5.6 |
| Total | 292 | 21 | 42.9 | 36.5 | 74.9 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 6.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
