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Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso is the type of player every coach dreams of. He moves the ball, doesn’t hit bad shots, sacrifices personal stats for the benefit of his team, and most importantly, plays relentless defense.
In fact, his defensive prowess has earned him a strong following in the NBA, sparking debate about whether he should be included in the Defensive Player of the Year topic.
rarity
Guards don’t often nod when it comes to DPOY awards. Last season, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart won the prestigious award, making him just the sixth guard in NBA history, joining Gary Payton, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Sidney Moncrief and Michael Jordan. rice field.
But there is something special about Alex Caruso. He stands out as a guard with an uncanny ability to read plays and anticipate his opponent’s moves in advance. His size allows him to defend multiple positions and his quickness allows him to annoy even the best guards in the association like Atlanta’s Trae Young.
Caruso’s Defense
Just as eye tests confirm Caruso’s impact on defense, so do the numbers. He ranks seventh in the league with his 1.7 steals per game despite playing just his 24 minutes per game. He also has FiveThirtyEight’s Defensive RAPTOR Rating of +5.3 which puts him at #1.
Finally, whenever Caruso leads the Bulls defense, the team’s defensive rating is a flashy 110.7, a good fit for a top-five ranking. But whenever he’s off the floor, the fearsome near-bottom of the league plummets to 116.8.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he was fully aware of Caruso’s contribution and that the guard inspires the team in many ways.
“When someone like Alex does what he does, there’s no doubt that it inspires your team.” Donovan said.
The Defensive Player of the Year award is always a hot race, and this season is no different. Yet despite facing established frontrunners like Giannis Antokounmpo and Rudy Gobert, Alex Caruso makes a strong case for himself that shouldn’t be ignored.
If he continues to play at this level, perhaps the guard will be called DPOY again.
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