Pippen Ain't Easy
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3 end-of-season awards the Bulls will contend for in 2022-23

By Austin Carroll

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 02: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls watches his three as the bench joins in in the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 02, 2021 in New York City. The Chicago Bulls defeated the New York Knicks 199-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 02: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls watches his three as the bench joins in in the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 02, 2021 in New York City. The Chicago Bulls defeated the New York Knicks 199-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

2. Alex Caruso – Sixth Man of the Year

Before going down with a fractured wrist suffered during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Alex Caruso was helping propel the Chicago Bulls to their best season in years and looked like a genuine Defensive Player of the Year candidate. At the time, he was leading the NBA in steals per game and had a clear and profound effect on Chicago’s defensive scheme.

After Caruso (and backcourt partner Lonzo Ball) succumbed to injury, the Bulls looked lost and hapless on the defensive side of things. If the Bulls are to make a serious run this year, they will almost assuredly need Caruso available and healthy to help lead the charge against the Eastern Conference’s best.

Even so, I don’t believe that the Defensive Player of the Year award is the award Caruso is most likely to contend for. Coming off the bench with slightly reduced minutes will make things difficult to contend with Rudy Gobert, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the NBA’s other top defensive talents.

Instead, I could see Caruso’s name being firmly in the running for Sixth Man of the Year if he can steadily produce a solid number of points, assists, and steals alongside efficient shooting percentages.

We’ve seen recently that voters are becoming increasingly fatigued with voting in the same archetypes every year, as Marcus Smart recently won DPOY over Gobert. I believe the same shift in voting could happen with the 6MOY award next season, after 11 straight seasons of a pure scoring talent claiming the award. In 10 of those 11 seasons, a guard won the award, with an equally one-dimensional Montrezl Harrell being the sole exception.

As the NBA continues to become more analytically driven than ever, I could definitely see the narrative switching to better favor players that actually impact winning more than posting empty scoring stats. Seeing as how Kevin Love, Joe Ingles, and Domantas Sabonis have all finished in the top two of voting in the past four years, there’s definitely evidence to believe the voters are noticing these players who do more than just score when the ball is in their hands.

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