Since being revealed to the Los Angeles Lakers as a luxury minor leaguer, Alex Caruso He has not stopped growing, evolving and developing his game. ONE advocate excellent, with an attitude and skills that make him the pair everyone wants to avoid when they take to the field. On the ball or as a tool within a support system, his sixth player Chicago Bulls is the piece that holds everything together for those of Billy Donovan.
The Illinois franchise will be the star this week on the occasion of the NBA Paris 2023 gamea meeting in which the Bulls will face the Detroit Pistons The Thursday, January 19 in the French capital.
A wonderful opportunity for European fans to enjoy one of the cult defenders of the current competition. And it is that Caruso represents the old school, but also the avant-garde, having the ability to combine with both big people and vertical marquees.
This is “The possession”a section in which The Sporting News NBA Staff breaks down a specific action from a specific game of the season, revealing a much bigger meaning behind it than meets the eye.
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occupation
From the moment the game starts, you can see Alex Caruso chasing one Jason Tatum that an indirect block has been passed. The Celtics play a horn action, the goal of which is to give the ball to the star at the elbow and in a half-advantage. However, the Bulls defender does not give him an inch, forcing the Greens to vary the course of their attack.
Automatically Malcolm Brogdon looks for alternatives, while Tatum continues to move to try to get rid of a sticky Caruso.
There is a certain moment when it reveals the value of the Bulls player very well, since he is able to phase change with tremendous speed and without affecting his defense. And it’s that Caruso instantly goes from being completely focused on individual marking without the ball, almost face-to-face, to being the last help on the weak side.
His body position and gaze reflect this like this:
This reactivity gives Caruso the ability to watch everything going on behind him and respond as needed.
Immediately after the base He is directly involved in the action of the ball again and thanks to Andre Drummond’s coverage he manages to smother Tatum in such a way that the advantage is nullified.
It is here, at this very moment, that Caruso works magic, defensive magic.
Although Caruso makes a slight miscalculation trying to anticipate his opponent’s breakup, he makes up for lost ground and is just in time to touch the ball just as Tatum is about to finish. The result? Celtics loss and fast break option for Chicago.
Despite the height and size difference between the two, the Bulls sixth man is capable of shutting down a consistent MVP candidate as many as three times in less than 10 seconds of possession. ONE Tatum that this season has reached the limits of effectiveness in situations clarified (0.97 points per share) and throwing at 49.8% in their hoop splits.
However, what makes Alex Caruso the most awkward, tireless and difficult defender to beat is his versatility. As soon as it is based like with forward or mobile four and if not tell him Lauri Markkanen:
His lateral vision and hand speed allow him to land almost any pass that is not millimeter accurate, especially if he is a few steps away from the pass issuer.
In fact, Caruso is the third player who averages the most deviations per game (3.8), with the difference that the first two play 37 and 33 minutes.
Former Lakers are no more than 25.
Despite all the problems the Bulls have faced this season, his defensive contribution Alex Caruso remains stable. He tends to combine with the top scorers, leaving them below 50% accuracy, one of the best stats on the team, and it shows.
With him on the field are those of Billy Donovan allow 6 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he is on the bench or not playing. Something that puts you in 89th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass, that is among the NBA’s elite in terms of defensive impact.
If the pistons they want to leave with his victory Paris they will have to overcome first Alex Caruso.
Check out what he did in previous games:
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
