Getty Alex Caruso and LeBron James high five during Game Five of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Newly signed guard Alex Caruso will wear number six for the Chicago Bulls, and people are already lining up to buy his jersey—including four-time champ LeBron James.
The two played together on the Los Angeles Lakers from 2018 to 2021 and won a championship in 2020.
In response to Caruso’s latest Instagram post, his first with the Bulls, James requested a copy of his new jersey:
He commented, “My twin I need that 6 jersey ASAP!”
Chicago signed the former Lakers guard to a four-year, $37-million deal just days into free agency.
Caruso averaged 6.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last year.
Arturas Karnisovas and company are hoping the 27-year old, along with newly acquired Lonzo Ball, will bring some defensive prowess to the backcourt next season.
And as it happens, he’s already been slated as the answer to guarding one of the Eastern Conference’s best scorers.
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Caruso, the Harden Stopper?
In a September 26 article for Pippen Ain’t Easy, Andrew Miller explored Alex Caruso’s star-stopping defense.
The former Los Angeles Lakers guard has had particular success guarding Brooklyn Nets’ guard James Harden.
From Miller’s latest:
Caruso defended Harden in more than three-dozen possessions last season. And in that time, Harden only hit one field goal (which was a three-pointer), and turned the ball over three times. The exception here was the fact that Harden did get nine assists while Caruso defended him last season.
Assists aren’t hard to come by for Harden, a member of the Borough’s Big Three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But as Miller goes on to detail, trips to the free-throw line have been hard to come by, at least when being guarded by Caruso:
Yet, the fact that Caruso never fouled Harden in that number of possessions defending him is insanely impressive. Harden averaged around 10 free-throw attempts per 100 possessions last season, and 12.5 in his career.
Trust that if the Chicago Bulls are to make a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference next season, they’ll inevitably be matched up with James Harden and the 2022 title favorite Brooklyn Nets.
Alex Caruso could become the ultimate x-factor in that series, based on his past experience with the 2018 MVP.
What Does Caruso’s Arrival Mean for Coby White?
When the Chicago Bulls signed and traded for Lonzo Ball, fans knew any chances of Coby White starting were slim.
But now, with Alex Caruso in the fold as well, there’s now a question of how much playing time he’ll see, too.
Drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, White has yet to pan out as a true point guard.
Caruso is no floor general either, but he’s displayed a better feel for the floor than his new Bulls teammate.
And there’s also the fact that White is currently injured, and not expected to be available for the season opener.
According to NBC Sports K.C. Johnson, Chicago is operating with a mid-November timeline in mind for the guard:
The Bulls are operating off a mid-November timeline for that return, which would mark five months since surgery. It will also mark, according to White, the longest he’s been away from the game due to injury since he started playing basketball.
Expect Alex Caruso to take over second-string point guard duties in the interim, and for the Chicago Bulls to reassess the position when Coby White returns from injury.
And in the meantime, for LeBron James to avidly root for his former teammate’s success in his new number six jersey.
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LeBron James Calls on New Bulls Guard: ‘I Need That Jersey!’