“ He’s a phenomenal player. Phenomenal. I don’t even want to talk about him as a ‘role player’. » The compliment is signed Kevin Durant in the direction ofAlex Caruso. The latter, despite his centimeter deficit, was assigned to defend the Suns superstar a few days ago, at the end of a contested meeting in Chicago.
And what an impact from the Bulls player. One minute from the end of regulation time, “KD” was penalized with a walk due to the presence, in close combat, of his opponent. Then on his attempt at a buzzer beater, Alex Caruso stayed in contact until the end, without making a mistake and Kevin Durant missed his shot.
Author of his best offensive output of the season (19 points), the leader/guard of the Bulls continued his harassment in overtime and Kevin Durant missed his last five shot attempts in the game, combining the fourth quarter and overtime.
“ First of all, it’s his mentality. He is a hard worker who will do everything he can for his teammates. He’s a great teammate who plays hard and makes up for a lot of mistakes. He’s just a guy that you can put on any team that’s going to make the right reads, the right calls defensively and offensively. The Bulls are lucky to have him », still praises the Suns player, quoted by ESPN.
A great communicator
The Bulls, too, are aware of having this chance. The team is built around a trio (DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine) with an offensive vocation. Having such a complementary profile is therefore a necessity for the balance of the 5th best defense in the country last year (111.5 points conceded over 100 possessions).
“ Some of the things he does, diving on rebounds, sacrificing his body… You have to support your brother when you see that. And help him as much as possible », remarks DeMar DeRozan. “ He helps the whole team, he brings energy and he guides the defense when he is on the field “, adds Zach LaVine.
Beyond its intensity, communication is central to its defensive impact. Alex Caruso says he learned a lot in this area from contact with LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, when he played for the Lakers. So much so that DeMar DeRozan today compares him to several great American football defenders (Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson). “ He is clearly one of the best communicators on that side of the field. »
While Billy Donovan prefers to be reasonable regarding his playing time (“ When he starts to regularly approach 30 minutes per evening, that’s when he has difficulty. “) and therefore not putting him directly in the major five, Alex Caruso obtained his first defensive distinction last year. Yet almost as much a starter (36) as a substitute (31), he finished in the best defensive five in the league.
Transform this impact into victories
Can the 2020 NBA champion aim even bigger? And enter the race for the best defender of the year trophy? “ He’s good enough. He was the best fullback last year, some of his numbers showed that », Judge Zach LaVine, who however conditions this possible trophy on good collective results. Which, as it stands, is not the case (3 wins – 6 losses).
“ I clearly had a very good year defensively, but collectively, being in the top five defenses with players that we describe as non-defensive is a very big achievement. The challenge now is to turn this into victories », Claims Alex Caruso on this subject.
The latter, an undrafted player, appreciates that his work be appreciated and recognized.
“ I’m sure there are a lot of people who didn’t think I’d be in the NBA, who didn’t think I’d be on a championship team, who didn’t think I’d be in the defensive starting five. And there are probably a lot of people who don’t think I can win defender of the year. I never exclude anything, simply because I continue to surpass myself to aim for the heights. »
| 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 |
| 2023-24 | CHI | 9 | 24 | 59.1 | 44.0 | 63.6 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 7.8 |
| Total | 301 | 21 | 43.4 | 36.8 | 74.6 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 6.1 | |
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.
