While the defense wasn’t really the calling card after the first quarter for the Chicago Bulls in their 119-115 road win over the New York Knicks on the road at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2, this team is still defying expectations on that end of the floor this season. Second-year head coach Billy Donovan has this team currently sitting in the top 10 in terms of defensive efficiency this season.
Through the first 23 games of the regular season, the Bulls have a 106.6 defensive rating (good for eighth in the NBA) and are giving up 105.1 points per game (ninth in the NBA). The 4.5 net rating the Bulls have posted so far this season is also good for fourth in the NBA.
There are a few reasons why the Bulls have improved so much on the defensive end of the floor. But the most obvious reason is the injection of perimeter defense that helped to disrupt opponents on a consistent basis this season. Signing the likes of the former New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball and former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Alex Caruso had an untold impact so far this season for the Bulls on defense.
Caruso and Ball currently lead the Bulls in steals per game, and both rank in the top four in defensive box plus/minus and defensive rating. They are taking the perimeter defense to a whole new level this season for the Bulls.
Chicago Bulls getting elite defensive contributions from Alex Caruso early this season
But it is Caruso that is really helping to elevate this Bulls’ defense mostly coming off the bench. Lonzo has played well on that end of the floor so far this season, but what Caruso doing is truly insane (in a very good way).
Caruso has averaged 2.3 steals per game, with 50 total steals, and a sparkling 3.7 steal percentage. Each of those statistics is good for best in the NBA right now. He is also having some games that are just truly astounding for the Bulls.
Alex Caruso is now the first player since the 2017-18 season (Paul George) to have at least 6 games with 4+ steals. He leads the NBA in total steals, steal percentage, and steals per game. pic.twitter.com/5V641fL4lP
— Pippen Ain't Easy (@BullsBeatBlog) December 3, 2021
At this point of the season, Caruso now has six games where he’s registered at least four steals. The last time that a player did that in the NBA in the first 23 games of a regular season was Paul George back during the 2017-18 campaign.
Caruso has played in 22 games for the Bulls so far this season. And he’s also registered at least three steals in nine of them. In the Bulls’ win over the Knicks on the night of Dec. 2 on the road, Caruso had another outing with four steals off the bench.
The way Caruso has played for the Bulls out of the gates this season, especially on the defensive end of the floor, is putting him in a position to contend for All-Defensive Team honors. He has yet to get All-Defensive Team honors in his career to date, but that could change very soon.
Following the four-point win over the Knicks on Dec. 2, the Bulls are now sitting on a record of 15-8, good for second place in the Eastern Conference standings. Next up for Caruso and the Bulls is a meeting with the Brooklyn Nets on the road on Dec. 4.