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Alex Caruso first made his mark in the NBA with the LA Lakers. He carved a roster on the team with his stellar defensive plays, all-out hustle, and the occasional rim-rattling slams. Caruso’s style of play steadily attracted the attention of even non-Laker fans.
Now with the Chicago Bulls, the pesky defender has become even better. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka unquestionably made a mistake when he kept Talen Horton-Tucker instead of him. The Bulls have become a better team with him complementing the star trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine.
On Monday, Alex Caruso, the Bulls and the entire NBA had a rare off night. All of basketball fans’ attention was on the NCAA Final Tournament pitting Purdue and UConn.
In the second half of the said showdown, the Boilermakers’ Camden Heide arguably had the highlight of the tournament. The high-flying forward snagged the ball off a Zach Edey-missed jumper and unleashed a thunderous jam over two defenders.
Caruso prompted reacted on X, formerly Twitter:
“That putback dunk brought a tear to my eye”
Heide’s dunk was quite similar to what Alex Caruso did to the Golden State Warriors in 2019. In the said matchup, the “Bald Mamba” jumped over Kevin Durant and Caruso’s then-teammate JaVale McGee for an emphatic slam. He also completed the highlight reel after trailing Rajon Rondo’s missed 3-point attempt for a dunk that had LeBron James and the Lakers bench standing.
Alex Caruso still brings the hammer down for the Bulls
Alex Caruso has become a more complete player since his days with the LA Lakers. Playing alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, and some of the veterans during his stint in LA made him better. With the Chicago Bulls, he has become a versatile plug-and-play master who can play 1 through 4 positions.
While his suffocating defense remains his trademark, he can still bring the hammer down on some occasions. Against the Memphis Grizzlies back in January, the “Carushow” finished a fastbreak attack by skying high for an emphatic throwdown.
Alex Caruso doesn't go out of his way to make the highlight reel plays but when given the opportunity, he never hesitates. Caruso also had a play against the Washington Wizards last month that was quite similar to what he did versus the Grizzlies. He again joined a transition attack that ended with him rising to detonate at the rim.
With the Chicago Bulls expected to compete in the play-in tournament for a spot in the playoffs, expect Caruso to dish out his brand of unforgiving distance. Leaving him alone on offense could also turn out to be a timely 3-pointer or an explosive dunk.
Guess the Lakers players!
