Bulls point of attack defense is lacking without Alex Caruso

The Chicago Bulls are mired in a four-game losing streak and many loud voices are beginning to question the legitimacy of what we saw from them prior to that. Despite still leading the Eastern Conference, they have dropped games against the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies over that stretch, going 0-3 against top competition.

That being said, there are issues that need to be addressed. The Bulls still need size. Though there isn’t enough in the world to help what Steven Adams did to Tony Bradley on Monday.

They’re dealing with injuries to Lonzo Ball, JaVonte Green, Derrick Jones, and Zach LaVine.

There is, however, something they can do about players like Ja Morant – who had 25 points on 52 percent shooting with nine points in the fourth quarter. James Harden got to them before that (you can only hope to bother Kevin Durant) and Stephen Curry before that.

Graphic shows just what the Chicago Bulls have missed without Alex Caruso

Advanced stats website, Basketball Index, shared a graphic on Twitter on Wednesday that should make some of the skeptics feel a little better about the Bulls’ future, both in the immediate and long term. The graphic detailed the matchup impact compared to the matchup difficulty for the league’s best point-of-attack defenders.

They define this role as, “ A guard who defends smaller ball handlers in pick-and-roll and in isolation on the perimeter with limited off-ball help responsibilities.”

The stat also takes into account switches.

It doesn’t take a long look at the graphic to immediately notice one player sitting head and shoulders above the rest, quite literally, and that is offseason acquisition and instant fan-favorite Alex Caruso.

‘CarusGOAT’ hasn’t played since before Christmas as he’s dealt with a foot injury as well as health and safety protocols. Chicago has gone 8-5 since he went down and are 9-7 without him this season. They did, win seven of the nine games on their winning streak with him out. That fortune has turned as they’ve lost more bodies to offset not having him on the floor.

They have had had to send more help, which this particular graphic doesn’t show the impact of.

That is something that has been made tougher with Ball out of the lineup the last couple of outings. Both he and LaVine had reportedly been dealing with knee soreness before tweaks sent them to the training table.

Also on the graphic is stellar rookie second-round pick and hometown product, Ayo Dosunmu, who has been asked to step up (and done so) constantly this season.

Caruso, though, has been ramping up his conditioning and is listed as probable for Wednesday’s matchup with Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers who are fourth in the East but are also tied with the Bulls in the win column and sit just three losses back in the standings.