Alex Caruso is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. It’s hard to find a player that’s willing to grind on that end and guard the best players on the opposing team while having a small offensive role. However, Alex Caruso excels at doing just that, and there is a reason that the Chicago Bulls brought him into the fold during the offseason.
Despite the lucrative contract that he signed with the Chicago Bulls, there was a time where Alex Caruso wasn’t even in the league, still grinding for his opportunity in the G-League. That has caused him to have a chip on his shoulder. When speaking to Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, Caruso claimed that every game he tries to prove that he’s “supposed to be there” in the NBA.
As for Caruso, he has had to scrap and claw his entire career. He was undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2016. He had to prove himself in the G League. He then turned a two-way contract with the Lakers into a standard, two-year, $5.5 million deal by playing hard-nosed defense and leaving his heart on the court in every moment.
“Thirty-two teams thought I wasn’t good enough to play in the NBA,” Caruso said, apparently so upset by the slight that he invented two extra teams. “That’s something I’ve just carried with me every game that I play. I try to go out there and prove that I’m supposed to be there.”
There is no doubt that Alex Caruso has made the best out of his opportunity with the Los Angeles Lakers. At one point, Lakers coach Frank Vogel even claimed that he was an All-Defensive caliber player.
The Chicago Bulls will need Alex Caruso to continue playing well in his role and bringing it on defense every single night. Knowing Caruso’s effort on the floor, his good perimeter defense will continue, and he’ll keep bothering opposing stars.
