Chicago Bulls: Alex Caruso’s defensive impact untold this season

Following a key win over the Toronto Raptors on the road on the night of Oct. 25, second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls are the lone remaining undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. Donovan and the Bulls moved their record to 4-0 on the season after this narrow three-point win over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena to start off the week on the right foot.

This undefeated start for the Bulls presents the team with their first 4-0 record since the 1996-97 season. And while the schedule wasn’t the most difficult to start off the regular season, this is still an impressive beginning to what could be a special 2021-22 campaign in the Windy City.

One of the big reasons why the Bulls are off to this undefeated start in the regular season through four games is the injection of talent from the multitude of new additions during the offseason. That includes the likes of point guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan, and small forward Derrick Jones Jr., among others.

Caruso, Lonzo, and DeRozan are three especially important signings that the Bulls made during the offseason that are helping the team to find more success in the win column out of the gates this season.

Coming off the bench, Caruso is helping the Bulls bolster their play on both ends of the floor. Caruso is getting minutes with the second unit off the bench, and with the starters at the outset of this season. His on and off-ball defensive ability on the perimeter makes Caruso a very versatile piece that is valuable for Donovan to have on the bench.

And Caruso is providing the Bulls with another capable facilitator and outside shooter in the backcourt rotation. Through four games this season, Caruso is on fire in terms of his production and overall efficiency.

Chicago Bulls getting unmatched defensive contributions early this season from Alex Caruso

He’s averaged 8.0 points per game, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers, so far this season. And Caruso shot 50.0 percent from the field, 66.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Caruso is showing that he can be one of the most disruptive defenders in the NBA this season (in a good sense). He reportedly leads the NBA in deflections per game thus far, with 4.8, and is second in steals per game.

Caruso is on pace to post a career-best in steals per game and steal percentage this season. His steal percentage currently sits at a career-high 5.7.

There is no other Bulls player that really comes close to touching what Caruso is doing in terms of raking in the steals right now. The next best Bulls player in terms of steal percentage through four games this season is star center Nikola Vucevic, who sits at just 3.2 percent. Caruso is nearly doubling the next best player on the team in this stat category.

It is also worth mentioning that, among Bulls players that have played in at least 20 total minutes this season, Caruso leads in defensive box plus/minus (2.3), and is second in defensive rating (93) and defensive win shares (0.3). Vucevic currently leads the Bulls in defensive rating (91) and defensive win shares (0.4) this season.

Following the Oct. 25 win over the Raptors on the road, the Bulls own a spotless record of 4-0 on the season. Next up for Caruso and the Bulls is a meeting at home at the United Center with the longtime rival New York Knicks on Oct. 28, with tip-off time set for 7 p.m. CT.