what a year alex caruso has had (and still is having)! he got paid, is now one of the best on-ball guard defenders in the nba, and has expanded his game to become an overall instant spark plug on both ends of the floor.
in the 4th quarter between the chicago bulls and miami heat, the bulls sent out a small-ball lineup of caruso, coby white, lonzo ball, demar derozan, and derrick jones jr.
with demar initiating the offense, alex actually became the screener and release-valve off the high pick and roll. and he's definitely competent enough to make the correct read most of the time when put in that position. here he hits djj on the baseline cut:
here he fakes to an open djj, starts driving in, looks at zo to freeze caleb martin, and fires a nice pass to coby:
say hello to point center alex caruso. he can do it all!
unrelated medium lights:
zach lavine hits james harden with the james harden stepback™️:
must feel bitter-sweet.
lonzo ball's perfect dig and recover:
textbook example of how to help off of your man that's one pass away, then recover with a great, controlled closeout, then play solid on-ball defense on the shot.
unrelated random thoughts…
darius garland is a joy to watch. super shifty, so smooth, really aesthetic game. seriously underrated handle and change of pace.
the cleveland cavaliers are nice. who said you can't play three 7-footers at once? jarrett allen, evan mobley, and lauri markkanen work together well.
donovan mitchell throws some incredible drive-and-kick passes sometimes. the pace and accuracy on them, considering how contorted his body often is in the air, are insane.
the way demar derozan plays basketball is literally an art form. maybe it's not the most mathematically efficient way to go about it, but i can't help be awestruck by how pure it is. gets to his spots, has incredible patience, flawless footwork, not a move wasted.
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