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With their 127-105 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls have officially clinched the ninth seed in the Play-In Tournament.
With that, they will have home court advantage in their first Play-In game next week.
Finishing with eight points, four rebounds, ten assists and two steals in 34 minutes, Alex Caruso is now eligible for NBA Awards, which means he should be a shoe-in for the All-Defense First Team.
Caruso leads the league in deflections per game and is second in total deflections. He’s third in steals and fourth in steals per game. He’s the only player in the NBA with more than 100 total steals and 70 total blocks.
Caruso is +3.4 in dunksandthrees.com’s Defensive-EPM, fifth overall but first in the league among players qualified for the games and minutes limit. Among players who have matched his total minutes played this season, Caruso is ranked fifth in BBall-Index’s D-LeBron stat. He’s first among non-centers.
His 3.7 block rate ranks in the 86th percentile, his 2.8 steal rate ranks in the 96th percentile.
Despite the Bulls defense falling from fifth last season to 21st this season, but the Bulls are seven points per 100 possessions better on the defensive end with Caruso on the floor compared to when he sits. That’s even better than last season.
Prior to the game, DeMar DeRozan told NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson, “this is where I want to be.”
“I love ownership. I love everything about the city and the franchise, top to bottom —the front office, the staff we have. It’s one of those places that gives me motivation to see everybody get what they deserve and feel what winning is like again,” he said.
DeRozan has been sensational in his time in Chicago. His play speaks for itself, he’s been at an All-Star level for his three seasons. He should be a lock for the Clutch Player of the Year award for his late-game heroics. His teammates love him. The coaches rely on him. The front office loves having him. He’s generous with the media, great as a mentor, and doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his play almost single-handedly keeping the Bulls competitive.
Because they own his bird rights, the Bulls can offer DeRozan more money than just about any other team. Only the Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic can offer DeRozan more than $20 million annually, but none of those teams make a lot of sense as a fit.
No team can offer him a role with unlimited usage and big shot opportunity that the Bulls can. DeRozan finished with 39 points on 14-of-22 shooting. He had a usage rate above 32 percent (top-five in the league) for the sixth time in seven games.
DeRozan knows that a team as desperate for competitiveness as the Bulls will give him what he wants. But the Bulls can’t let that desperation dictate the outcome of their future. As phenomenal as DeRozan has been, there is more at stake than making the ninth seed every season.
Up Next: Bulls are in DC to get revenge against the Washington Wizards before closing out the regular season on Sunday against the Knicks in New York.
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