Chicago Bulls
guard Alex Caruso became the eighth winner of the Hustle Award in NBA history.
“The NBA Hustle Award honors players who make the effort plays that don’t often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis,” NBA.com’s Brian Martin wrote on May 2. “An All-Defensive First Team selection in 2022-23, Caruso’s hustle stats illustrate why he is considered one of the league’s top perimeter defenders.
“His energy plays, the sacrifices he makes for his teammates and the all-out effort in which he competes may not always appear in the traditional box score, but it helped Caruso earn his first NBA Hustle Award.”
Teammate and Bulls big man Andre Drummond tipped his cap to Caruso, sending a message for the former championship Los Angeles Laker.
“No surprise here! @ACFresh21 well deserved brother,” Drummond posted on X on May 2.
Caruso beat Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors, Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Grant Williams of the Charlotte Hornets for the award.
It’s fitting that the big man acknowledged the guard.
The duo boasted the best net rating among the 13 two-man lineups that saw at least 60 games and 600 minutes for the Bulls this past season, per NBA.com.
Caruso set career highs averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds this season. He also tied his best mark with 1.7 steals and dished out 3.5 assists per game. But his impact went beyond those s.
Alex Caruso Embodies ‘Hustle’ for Bulls
Caruso led the NBA in deflections while finishing fourth in loose balls recovered, fourth in steals, and ninth in total charges drawn.
Caruso is the second Bulls player to win the award.
He joins another fan favorite, forward Thaddeus Young, now of the Phoenix Suns. who won the award in 2020-21. That was his final season with the Bulls. They traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan that summer.
Like Young then – and even DeRozan now on offense– Caruso has been quite essential to the Bulls’ success defensively.
They had the second-best defensive rating with him on the floor and 24th without, per Martin.
The versatile Caruso also finished seventh in the voting for best defender in an anonymous poll of 132 players conducted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins. He garnered 5.3% of the vote (roughly seven votes).
That same poll saw Caruso garner votes for “Most Overrated Player.” He received 1.2% of 81 votes (just about one vote).
Bulls Poised to Lose Andre Drummond in Free Agency
The Bulls have interest in extending Caruso off his four-year, $36.9 million contract this offseason. But they could see Drummond walk in free agency this offseason. A two-time All-Star, Drummond finished a two-year, $6.6 million contract this season.
He also flirted with opting out of the second year of his contract and joining the Dallas Mavericks in free agency last summer.
Drummond ultimately stayed and provided strong play when on the floor.
But his role remained inconsistent for the second straight season behind starter Nikola Vucevic, who is going into Year 2 of a three-year, $60 million pact. And the Bulls nearly traded Drummond, who has been very vocal about still viewing himself as a starter, this season.
He bolstered his claims. Drummond averaged 14.0 points, 17.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals over a string of seven straight starts this season.
If the Bulls offer either one, another team could offer more money or a larger role this summer.
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