Some forget it, but before revealing itself on the Los Angeles side, Alex Caruso spent three seasons in the G-League, between 2016 and 2019. He played two years with the South Bay Lakers, the franchise obviously affiliated with the Lakers, but he mainly started with the Oklahoma City Blue, the franchise affiliated with the Thunder.
It was also there, in 2016/17, that the now player of the Bulls really began to change dimension in defense, in contact with a certain Mark Daigneaultnow coach of OKC.
“ We trained every day “, he remembersas the duel between Chicago and Oklahoma City. “ I took [ces exercices] seriously, because that’s just the person I am. I will always dedicate myself 100% to what I do. It was just rehearsal, getting it right and being able to translate that into NBA games. It became a habit at that point, it was no longer something I had to think about. Mark has a lot to do with it, I give him credit for setting up such training sessions, for coaching us and teaching us how to be present. »
An outsider for the DPOY?
Eager to confirm his place among the best defenders in the league before the season, Alex Caruso is now one of the outsiders for the title of Defender of the Year, a few months after being selected for the All-Defensive First Team. A status that he owes, in particular, to Mark Daigneault, who continues to do a good job with the Thunder…
“ He trains and speaks exactly the same as with the Blue », Judges the 2020 champion, without being more surprised than that. “ He always kept us in a very good perspective of how we should play and how we were going to be successful. I really enjoyed playing for him. »
Who knows, maybe Alex Caruso will have the opportunity to reunite with Mark Daigneault in Oklahoma shortly, while the Bulls could take advantage of his sky-high market value to transfer him…
| 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 | 13 | 24 | 58.7 | 50.0 | 76.0 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 9.9 |
| Total | 305 | 21 | 43.7 | 37.4 | 74.9 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 6.2 | |
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.
