Tag: Alex Caruso

DeMar DeRozan discusses Alex Caruso’s defensive intensity

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently praised Alex Caruso’s defense.

The Chicago Bulls have been a painfully average team for the past few seasons. After changing up their core in 2021, they made the playoffs in 2022, but they only managed to take one game off the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2023, they lost in the Play-In Tournament and missed the playoffs. And this season, they’re in danger of suffering the same fate.

Last year, the Bulls relied on their defense to help them find some success. This season, they haven’t had that. However, they still have some of the same elite defensive pieces in place. Most notably, Alex Caruso is still one of the league’s premier defenders.

DeMar DeRozan recently praised his defensive intensity. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He really gets upset when guys score on him,” DeRozan said. “He’s one of those special guys when it comes to the defensive end of the ball that can do a little bit of everything.”

Caruso has a chance to be on another All-Defensive Team this year.

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Why Chicago’s Alex Caruso is a clear-cut 2024 NBA First Team All-Defensive player

But will the Chicago guard get his just desserts from the voters?

It was no accident that there was so much interest around the NBA ahead of the league’s 2024 trade deadline for the services of veteran Chicago Bulls 3-and-D wing Alex Caruso. The Bulls shooting guard is Chicago’s Alex Caruso is a clear-cut 2024 NBA First Team All-Defensive player who can change the fortunes of the team he plays for with his lockdown defense and sharpshooting on the other end of the court.

But will the Chicago guard get his just desserts from the voters? Or will the stiff competition push him out of the picture for the full-season defensive honor to the Second Team All-Defensive team?

The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, recently took some time to talk about Caruso’s amazing season on the defensive end of things on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about Caruso’s clamps in 2023-24.

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Alex Caruso on mindset after role in Bulls win over Timberwolves

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Alex Caruso spoke about his mindset.

So far this season, Alex Caruso has been having one of the best years of his career. Not only has his defensive prowess remained at an all-time high, but he’s also been a menace on the offensive side of the ball. And since the All-Star break, he’s stepped up into an even larger role at times for the Chicago Bulls.

On Sunday night, the Bulls took on the Minnesota Timberwolves, earning a 108-101 win. Caruso played a major role in the victory, locking up Anthony Edwards on one end and pouring in a career-high seven threes on the other. He was instrumental to the Bulls’ success.

After the game, Caruso spoke about the mindset he’s been playing with this season. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“I just tried to focus through All-Star break and then coming out of the break staying true to the work and just being aggressive,” Caruso said. “I think it’s shown over the last couple of games, I’m shooting pretty well just because I know where I’m going to get the shots and then I just trust in the work I’ve put in.”

If the Bulls want to make any sort of noise in the postseason, Caruso’s continued leadership will be crucial.

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DeMar DeRozan credits Alex Caruso for Bulls win over Timberwolves

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, DeMar DeRozan showed love to Alex Caruso.

Following their lackluster defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, the Chicago Bulls traveled west to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team jockeying for the top spot in the Western Conference. They were met with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, but Chicago managed to get the job done.

The Bulls earned a 109-101 win over the Timberwolves. While DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 27 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, it was Alex Caruso, in particular, who stepped up to the plate. He drained a career-high seven threes and played his usual elite defense, locking up Anthony Edwards.

After the game, DeRozan showed love to Caruso for his role in the win. (H/t ESPN)

“It’s amazing to have a teammate like that,” DeRozan said. “For him to carry us tonight, what he did on both ends of the floor, it’s just a sign of his greatness and the heart and mindset he had going into the game.”

Caruso finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals while shooting 7-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Alex Caruso on highlight-reel behind-the-back move on Ben Sheppard

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso spoke about his highlight-reel move against Indiana Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard.

The Chicago Bulls absolutely dominated the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, earning a 125-99 victory. They put on a show on the defensive end, becoming the first team this season to hold the Pacers to under 100 points. Alex Caruso was a big part of that, but he also had a fun highlight on the offensive end of the court.

With just over two minutes left in the first quarter of the game, Caruso had Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard on him. He drove right but pulled back, causing Sheppard to fall down by using a nasty behind-the-back move. It drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd, and Caruso sunk the jumper.

After the game, Caruso spoke about the moment. (H/t Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score)

“You always got make that shot … As soon as I shot it, I thought it was going in and I was just in my head like, ‘Go in, go in, go in’,” Caruso said.

Caruso ended the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals while shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Alex Caruso on how Bulls can maintain great defense after Pacers win

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Indiana Pacers, Alex Caruso spoke about how his squad can maintain their defensive excellence.

The Chicago Bulls put on a show on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers. When you hear the sentence in the context of today’s NBA, you usually envision a scoring Master Class. But the Bulls did the opposite. They completely shut down one of the best offenses in the NBA, holding the Pacers to 99 points.

It was the first time all season that the Pacers failed to crack the 100-point mark, and it was Chicago’s defensive pressure that forced the issue. Last year, the Bulls were a top-five defense in the league, but so far this season, they have been fairly subpar on that side of the ball.

After the win over Indiana, Alex Caruso spoke about what the Bulls need to do to get back to their great defensive ways of last year (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“Being consistent with our effort and discipline, knowing the assignments, keeping guys off the free-throw line,” Caruso said. “If we can do that consistently we are a good defensive team. We’ve had some slippage in that area, but we know we can do it right.”

With guys like Caruso, newly-re-signed Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu, and others leading the way, the Bulls have all the pieces to be a very annoying defense for opponents to deal with.

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Alex Caruso says Pacers seemed ‘tired’ in Bulls win

Alex Caruso said that the Indiana Pacers seemed tired in the Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday night win.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the Indiana Pacers to town on Wednesday night in hopes of bouncing back after their Saturday night loss to the Washington Wizards. They did exactly that, earning a massive win over the Pacers. Chicago picked up a 125-99 victory over Indiana, playing some of the best defense on the Pacers of any team all season.

This was the first time that any team had held the Pacers below 100 points all season. Nobody on the Pacers cracked the 20-point mark, while DeMar DeRozan (27 points), Nikola Vucevic (22 points and 12 rebounds), and Andre Drummond (14 points and 11 rebounds) led the way for the Bulls.

After the game, Alex Caruso said that the Pacers seemed tired, but the Bulls also played well. (H/t ESPN)

“They seemed a little tired, but we played well,” Caruso said. “We covered for each other and didn’t have any of those lapses where we give up a slip-out layup or somebody forgot to rotate or get in and battle for the rebound.”

Chicago’s win over the Pacers was a great bounce-back for them.

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On This Day: Alex Caruso leads Aggies to historic comeback in 2016 NCAA Tournament

Senior point guard Alex Caruso led the No. 3 Aggies on a historic comeback to avoid an upset vs. Northern Iowa in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

Where were you eight years ago today?

Me, personally? I was glued to my television locked in on the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament as senior point guard Alex Caruso led the No. 3 Texas A&M men’s basketball team on a historic comeback to avoid an upset against No. 11 Northern Iowa.

The Aggies trailed 69-57 with about 35 seconds left and came back to earn a 92-88 double overtime victory against the Panthers. Texas A&M‘s 12-point comeback was the largest rally in the final minute of a game in NCAA Tournament history.

The future All-NBA defensive first team selection scored 25 points in the win. He departed College Station as the program’s all-time leader in assists and steals.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

With this year’s March Madness tournament beginning on Friday for the Aggies men, players like Wade Taylor IV, Tyrece “Boots” Radford and Manny Obaseki will have their own opportunity to leave a postseason legacy in Aggieland.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Alex Caruso discusses challenge of guarding Luka Doncic

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso talked about the challenge of guarding Luka Doncic.

One of the highlights of this Chicago Bulls’ season has been Alex Caruso. Last year, he made the All-Defensive First Team, and while his offense has taken a huge leap this season, his defense is still the primary way he affects the game. He’s constantly being challenged with guarding opposing teams’ best players for the Bulls, and Monday night was no different.

Caruso was tasked with guarding Luka Doncic on Monday. The Slovenian superstar is having an incredible season this year, and unfortunately for the Bulls, he took over the game. Alongside the play of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks took down the Bulls.

After the game, Caruso spoke about the challenge of guarding Doncic. (H/t Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s a unique player and can do a lot of things,” Caruso said. “He’s 6-7 and 200-whatever playing the point. He can play pick-and-roll, can play iso, he’s a three-level scorer. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s one of the best players in the league for a reason. It’s always fun to play against some of the best players every night. Went from guarding Steph to Kawhi Leonard on the road in back-to-back games, and to come off a week of guarding Zion (Williamson) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo). For me, every night is a new, interesting challenge, and Luka’s diversity just brings another one.”

Caruso finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and three assists on 1-of-6 shooting on all three-pointers.

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Should the Chicago Bulls regret not turning Alex Caruso into a mountain of assets?

The Bulls are going nowhere this season. Wouldn’t it be nicer if it was going nowhere with more draft assets?

The Chicago Bulls probably wish they could do their 2024 NBA trade deadline over again. And their 2023 trade deadline. And their 2022 deadline. You get the picture. After injuries further decimated the Bulls’ roster with the season-ending injury to Patrick Williams, it is clear this season is going nowhere. Wouldn’t it be nicer if it was going nowhere with more draft assets for future moves?

That is the question posed in a recent article by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who asked if the Bulls might regret not turning 3-and-D specialist guard Alex Caruso into a mountain of draft assets. “He isn’t someone who the stat sheet thinks would’ve delivered a pile of assets in a deal,” writes Buckley. “In this market, though, he loomed as a top target for seemingly every win-now shopper.”

“His glue-guy game made him a fit with anyone, while his $9.5 million salary, per Spotrac, felt like a fit for any budget.”

“The Bulls could have charged a premium in a Caruso deal and teams still would’ve paid it,” writes the B/R analyst. “Multiple first-round picks were not out of the question.”

“Given Chicago’s low-hanging ceiling, it should have let Caruso, who’s closing in on his 30th birthday, go and received the kind of assets needed to build up this roster to a point where it can actually compete for something of substance.”

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