“Alex Caruso sees things before they happen”: Bulls coach Billy Donovan praises LeBron James’ ex-teammate and Lakers fan favorite GOAT

Alex Caruso has come up as one of the most impactful players among the young guns of the NBA. He was an important part of the LeBron-led Lakers, the 2020 Champions.

Although LeBron James and Anthony Davis were the guys running things in Los Angeles during his time with the Lakers, Alex Caruso was the live wire of the team.

Everyone on the bench along with the audience would be on their feet when “GOAT Caruso” would steal the ball at one end and take it to the other for a massive throw down dunks or a lob pass.

Also read: “Alex Caruso is the LeBron of playing with LeBron James”: NBA fans stir a debate on if $9M Caruso would have been better than $44M Russell Westbrook

Alex impacts the game in every way possible.

Caruso’s hustle would be important for Chicago to compete and be of any significance this season

The fan-favorite GOAT started the final game against the Miami Heat of 2020 NBA finals, such was his impact on important games. But just a year after that the NBA Champion joined Chicago Bulls on a free transfer surprising many Lakers fans in the process.

To start the 2021-22 season, Chicago is packed with offensive killers like Zach LaVine, Demar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic and still they got lucky to land such a great defender and hustler in Caruso as a free agent.

He wouldn’t just be an impactful player, he will also bind the team together according to Coach Billy Donovan,

“I think it’s his voice, he’s a great communicator, he sees things before it happens, he helps guys, he’s got a great voice, he’s usually smart, physically tough.” said Billy talking about Caruso.

In 4 pre-season games for the Bulls, the “Bald Eagle” averaged 9.3 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 23.3 minutes.

Donovan continued “One thing I respect about him, he really holds himself to high standards of accountability, like when he’s making mistakes or not doing things he knows he should be doing out there, he’s the first one that’s on himself about where he has to get better. He is always talking to our group about areas where we have to get better, he’s always thinking about ways to help the group.”

On a tight opening night for Chicago against the Detroit Pistons, Caruso stole more than he scored. He had 3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

Also read: “Lonzo Ball was hooping and making Zach LaVine’s Bulls look good”: How newly-signed Chicago guard could influence their fortunes this season

Caruso’s impact in the game and majorly late during the games would never reflect on score sheets, but the “dawg” in Caruso is appreciated by the coaches, players, and fans equally. Correction, he’s highly appreciated by the fans.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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