There is little Alex Caruso isn’t willing to do on the defensive end to win a game, and this current West Coast trip has been a reminder of just how lethal he is late in games on that end.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
LOS ANGELES – There is glory in what DeMar DeRozan does offensively late in games.
The Bulls veteran wears the “King of the Fourth” crown proudly.
After all, when the opposing team and entire arena knows the basketball will be in your hands, as will the fate of the team, delivering time and time again is regal.
Alex Caruso operates in a different space.
He thrives in the dark.
A late-game steal, a deflection to mess with the offensive timing, drawing a game-changing charge. The gritty plays that require physical sacrifice with the reward usually being floor burns. Just as important on the scoreboard, but often covered up in the grime.
DeRozan might be the king, but Caruso is his right hand.
“He’s incredible,” coach Billy Donovan said of Caruso’s latest display of defensive prowess on this road trip. “I think you need a full complement of players that can play to their own identity, and what he does is so unique. There’s no one on our team that does that and there’s probably not that many players in the league that does what he does.
“The thing I admire and respect about him is he loves that. A lot of guys don’t enjoy that. They don’t enjoy the things he does. He understands the things he does; one, it’s his identity, it’s what he’s carved his career out of. He was a point guard in college, and he had really good anticipation, he was a good steal guy, but he wasn’t the defender he is now. I give him a lot of credit. When smart guys get to the league they figure out how they can impact winning and the team, and he’s really done that.”
Up by two with 36 seconds left in Sacramento, it was Caruso that baited De’Aaron Fox into a bad pass off the inbound. Bulls win.
Up three in Utah and 52.1 seconds left, Caruso with the steal. Bulls win.
Then on Thursday against a red-hot Golden State team, the Warriors had the ball with 58 seconds left and the game tied. All Caruso did was get his body in front of Draymond Green, draw the offensive foul, and foul Green out of the game. Bulls win.
“Yeah, that’s why I play basketball … to win the game,” Caruso said.
Asked if he felt his style of play gets overlooked, he responded, “Not with my teammates, no. I know they appreciate it, I know they know it takes that stuff to win just as much as it takes a crazy-and-one throw-in shot from DeMar. It takes fighting over screens, coming up with loose balls, rebounding, and I know they appreciate that. They encourage me. I know Ayo (Dosunmu) is hyping me up half the game, telling me “First-team all-defense activate.” He tries to get me going.”
That’s what’s really been so amazing through this stretch of wins. Yes, the Bulls are confident that DeRozan will deliver with the ball in his hands, but they are also just as confident that Caruso will cause some chaotic play on the other end that’s just as important.
“He’s so good defensively and does it every game, you don’t take it for granted, but when it happens, you’re kind of like, ‘That’s normal, that’s Alex, that’s what he does,’ “ center Nikola Vucevic said. “The plays he makes are so important. It’s a huge bonus for us to have that on the defensive end. He helps us so much and covers so much space, and his communication. We know we can rely on him night in and night out, and it’s huge to have that.”
That’s a big reason why executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made Caruso all but untouchable at the trade deadline. In Karnisovas’ eyes Caruso is what he wants his team to play like. He is the culture.
You don’t trade culture.
“You talk about making quick decisions, those charges, loose balls and slap downs, the decision making by him in those moments is unbelievable,” Donovan said. “There are times where it looks like he’s out of the play and it’s a deflection, a tip, it’s a disruptive play. It’s amazing what he does.”
It is, but for Caruso it’s a style of play that he has embraced. To break into the league he had no other choice. Playing defensive irritant was his path and the opposition is now feeling the result of that journey.
“I don’t notice it too much from the other team,” Caruso said with a smirk when asked if he can tell opposing teams become annoyed with the plays he makes late in games. “But I know that it’s effective and I would assume they don’t enjoy it.”
He’s right because very few actually enjoy the dark.