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4 Bulls who deserved a higher ranking in B/R’s NBA Top 100

By Austin Carroll

Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

2. Alex Caruso (unranked)

Alex Caruso may not be the second-best player on the Chicago Bulls, but in my opinion, he was absolutely the second-most snubbed player on this roster. Caruso didn’t crack B/R’s Top 100 this year, and try as I might, I simply don’t have a logical explanation for this decision.

Fresh off qualifying for All-Defensive First Team and leading the league in practically every single advanced defensive statistic, Caruso should have been a shoo-in for this year’s rankings. In fact, just check out how every single member of the All-Defensive Teams ranked this year.

All-Defensive First Team

  • Alex Caruso (unranked)
  • Jrue Holiday (No. 37)
  • Jaren Jackson Jr. (No. 31)
  • Brook Lopez (No. 79)
  • Evan Mobley (No. 41)

All-Defensive Second Team

  • Bam Adebayo (No. 27)
  • OG Anunoby (No. 46)
  • Dillon Brooks (Honorable mention)
  • Draymond Green (No. 49)
  • Derrick White (No. 68)

Alex Caruso’s excellency for the Bulls on defense should not be overlooked or forgotten.

This isn’t even a classic case of the media undervaluing defense here. As you can see, every member of the All-Defensive Teams qualified for this list. This includes even Dillon Brooks, who was such a notorious net negative for his team on offense that they made their intentions to not re-sign him public knowledge.

Although I admit my personal biases come into play here, Caruso is simply a much more impactful player than Dillon Brooks. I don’t see what separates a player like Derrick White so significantly from a guard who plays a similar role like Caruso, other than the fact White plays for the better team. Not having Caruso on this list as even an honorable mention just feels a little negligent on B/R’s behalf here.

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