NEWSLETTER
Sure, DeMar DeRozan might be the league’s 6th-leading scorer. Mhm, Zach LaVine is also one of the best pure bucket-getters in the league. And, yes, Nikola Vucevic reminded everyone why is a two-time All-Star with his first 30-point outing of the season on Monday night.
But the Bulls offense would be nowhere without one man and one man only: Alex ‘The Show’ Caruso!
• Fine, I’m kidding. Sorta. While we can most certaintly say the Bulls’ defense would be nowhere without the on-ball pressure and active hands of Caruso, the offensive weight he carries is a bit less meaningful. After all, the guy is only averaging 8.7 points in his 29.5 minutes of action, shooting a somewhat underwhelming 33.9 percent from deep after posting a 40.0 percent clip last season. Still, even though we may not think of Caruso as one of this team’s more important offensive weapons, he has played a role on that end of the floor that is worth some extra acknowledgment, especially over the past few games.
• Caruso has been allowed to flash his playmaking ability more than ever before under Billy Donovan’s watchful eye. His 4.2 assists per game this season are by far a career-high, and the guard already has more games with 6+ assists than he did all of last season. His assist-to-turnover ratio also sits at a solid 2.93, per NBA Stats, which ranks 16th among players who average at least 25 minutes per game. When he isn’t helping get his talented teammates the ball, however, Caruso is constantly on the move. He has been a pivotal part of helping this Bulls team counteract the increasing zone defense they’ve seen over the past few games, constantly looking to cut and penetrate the paint. In fact, Caruso ranks 15th in points per possession when cutting to the rim this season, only nine spots below his ultra-athletic teammate Zach LaVine.
• In three of the past four games, Caruso has found himself scoring in double-digits. Not only is it the first time he’s accomplished that this season, but it’s only the third time he’s done this since the 2019-20 season. All of this scoring has also come off the bench, a role he moved back to after the return of Nikola Vucevic. For a Bulls team that has struggled mightily to find reliable second unit scoring outside of DeMar DeRozan, Caruso’s contributions have been a breath of fresh air. His 3-ball has looked improved in spot-up situations over these four games, and his eagerness to get to the free-throw line has been on full display with at least six attempts in each of his past two games. Now, assuming he will keep this up probably isn’t the right move. We’d all rather like to see Coby White start to carry more of this overall scoring load anyway. But it is encouraging to see Caruso take advantage of these offensive opportunities, and it takes that much more pressure off his All-Star teammates.
• I. AM. FLABBERGASTED.
Chicago Bulls Will Lose 2022 Second-Round Draft Pick Due to Tampering Violationhttps://t.co/aioniDd856
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 1, 2021
• I touch on this in the post above, but add in the forfeiture of a second-round pick, and I still do this Lonzo Ball deal 10/10. I’m truly amazed by the weak nature of this penalty, particularly after all the hype around the NBA expanding it’s penalities in recent years to include a fine as large as $10 million, front office suspensions, and the loss of first-round draft capital. I went into this expecting the worst, so I’m more than pleased to see Arturas Karnisovasa get nothing more than a modest slap on the wrist.
• The AP’s Tim Reynolds made a good note when reading through the NBA’s official press release: The word “tampering” is nowhere to be seen. The description sure sounds like it would fall under that category, but it is interesting to see the league office chose not to use that exact wording.
Note that the word "tampering" is not in here. https://t.co/FxiKwnSSD9
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 1, 2021
• Another thing worth mentioning is the NBA did not specify which second-round pick the Bulls would lose. The assumption would be the organization forfeits whichever original pick comes next – which would not be until 2026 due to a handful of previous trades – but Sportrac’s Keith Smith is suggesting it could be whichever pick the team has next. In other words, if the 2023 second-rounder in the Bulls possession that originally belonged to the Denver Nuggets conveys (Bulls received this pick from the Cavaliers in the three-team Lauri Markkanen trade this summer), the Bulls could end up handing over that pick to the league.
Per a league source: the punishments handed down to the Bulls and Heat of forfeiture of their next available second round picks is truly the next pick either team has. It does not have to be their own pick.
Both teams have picks owed to them with protections/conditions attached.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 1, 2021
• Zach LaVine is apparently still dealing with the non-COVID-related illness and sat out of practice today. Head coach Billy Donovan did say he will travel with the team, but it surely feels like something to monitor before tomorrow night’s game, even if he did play through it on Monday and drop 25 points in typical LaVine fashion.
Zach LaVine didn’t practice due to non-COVID-related illness, per Donovan, but LaVine will travel to New York.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 1, 2021
• When you look at the numbers, DeMar DeRozan might very well be the top midrange threat in the game right now.
Lonzo Ball Says DeMar DeRozan is “the Best Midrange Player” in the NBAhttps://t.co/R8z1ShmGrM
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 30, 2021
• The Phoenix Suns took down the previously unbeatable-looking Golden State Warriors last night and have now won 17-straight games. Yes, that means they went the entire month of November without a loss. Your turn, Bulls!
The Suns win the battle atop the West against the Warriors ☀️
Phoenix has tied its longest win streak in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/OGxkDiVWam
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 1, 2021
• The guy has still got it.
D-Rose switched hands mid-air pic.twitter.com/LlUcNnWIhg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 1, 2021
• MAJOR BUMMER ALERT:
Coby White Has Tested Positive for COVIDhttps://t.co/MYE8wD7XIy
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 1, 2021
• Another noteworthy COVID case:
LeBron James — who the Lakers are listing in health and safety protocols — is expected to miss several games, source tells ESPN. Players with positive Covid cases must be out a minimum of 10 days.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 1, 2021
• Welcome back, king!
Matt Nagy Says Justin Fields Will Practice Today (But Roquan Smith Won't) https://t.co/DPvJNtepe4
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 1, 2021
