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.