For Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, the only obstacle standing in the way of a consecutive NBA All-Defensive selection might be his ability to get back — and stay — on the court.
Caruso is on track for another season ranking among the top defenders in the league. But to qualify for the honor, Caruso must play at least 20 minutes in two of the final five games of the season to clear the 65-game minimum newly required by the NBA for end-of-season awards.
By the time Caruso rolled his ankle after playing 32 minutes in Friday’s win against the New York Knicks, concerns about his physical health had long since become commonplace. His greatest strength as a defender is also at times his greatest enemy.
Caruso is always the first to dive headfirst after an errant pass or out of bounds to save a loose ball. And as a result, it’s difficult for him to last more than two or three weeks without landing awkwardly — often on someone else’s foot. At best it’s a tweak. At worst it forces him to miss a few games.
But extrapolated across the season, this pattern has made it difficult for Caruso to stay available long enough to make the 65-game minimum. Caruso never cleared that threshold until he signed with the Bulls — and just barely, logging 67 games in his first season and 68 games last year.
The NBA installed the 65-game minimum this season in an effort to reduce the increased practice of load management, which fans had been criticized for diluting the experience of seeing stars in games.
Caruso is never absent for this reason outside of the final game of the regular season, when Donovan regularly rests his starters. Caruso regularly has played through injuries this season and shrugged off concerns about his physical limitations. And for teammate DeMar DeRozan, this what sets Caruso apart — a self-instilled standard as a defender.
“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.”
Defining an elite defender isn’t an easily defined practice. Some of it is statistics. Some of it is an eye test. And a lot of it is the way a player’s teammates, coaches and opponents respond to their presence on the defensive end of the court. Caruso fulfills all three categories, bringing a versatility to guard one through five and creating chaos.
Caruso is fourth in the NBA in steals with 111 and fourth among guards in blocks with 68. Only one other Bulls player has recorded more than 110 steals and 65 blocks in a single season — Ben Wallace in the 2006-07 season. Caruso ranks seventh in the league in steals per game (1.6), third in blocks per game among guards (1), first in deflections per game (3.6) and second in total deflections (248).
Coach Billy Donovan likened Caruso to other elite defenders such as OG Anunoby and Jrue Holiday, who don’t have to rely on one aspect of their game to create defensive disruption.
“Sometimes people equate a lot of steals with a great defender,” Donovan said. “Sometimes that is true and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s just — when a guy is isolated, can that guy guard him one on one or do you have to bring help? And Alex is a guy that you feel pretty good with on matchups. That’s a luxury.”
With five games left in the season, Donovan faces a key decision-making juncture.
The Bulls are desperately chasing a ninth-seed finish in the Eastern Conference to maintain their home-court advantage in the first game of the play-in tournament, which means they don’t have the luxury of resting players. And with Caruso still two games from qualifying for postseason awards, Donovan has several reasons to keep his star defender on the court.
Donovan might begin to measure the cost-benefit analysis of providing Caruso with rest in the final few games. But for now, the coach said those conversations have yet to take place.
“We’re still in a situation where you get an opportunity to play a home game,” Donovan said. “I do think there’s value and importance in that — not at the expense of anybody’s health. But I just know these guys, they’re going to want to play, and we’ll have to manage when we get closer to the end of the year. But there’s not going to be anything for Alex where we’re going to be pushing (him) to get back where it could potentially cause more problems.”
