Help Wanted: One Defensive-Minded Bulls Guard to Replace Alex Caruso
The Void Left by Caruso’s Departure
At some point this season, someone has to step up. Be that guard that digs his feet in the sand and has a "Not today, not on my watch" attitude. "Individual pride" is what Bulls coach Billy Donovan called it. As Wednesday’s season opener showed, the search continues.
The Bulls traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey last summer, adding a lengthy ball-handler, but also leaving a black hole on the defensive end. Caruso wasn’t just the heart and soul of the defense from a communication standpoint; he was the pitbull that locked onto the opposing team’s best guard and made his on-the-court life hell for that evening. No one has been fooling themselves, insisting Caruso was completely replaceable since fall camp started last month for the Bulls, but there has to be willing participants to try and fill that vacuum.
The Search for a Defensive Mindset
Forward Patrick Williams is considered the best wing defender the Bulls have, but what about in the backcourt? What about when it comes down to blowing up screens or just locking down a ball-handler in isolation?
"I get it, Patrick’s a good defender," Donovan said. "I think for every team, there’s a formula you’ve got to do to win. We can’t turn the ball over, we cannot get dominated the way we did (against the Pelicans) on loose balls, and the other part of it is we’re going to have to play with some more physicality because we are undersized in a way. Patrick can’t stop five guys, and we’re going to have to do it as a team. There’s going to have to be some individual pride."
Can Coby White Step Up?
Coby White hopes the line can start behind him. White showed some flashes of playing a better brand of defense two seasons ago, but when his role completely changed in the 2023-24 campaign to a high-minutes offensive scorer, there was admittedly slippage on the other side of the ball. That’s why he conditioned so hard this summer, looking to remedy that issue and knowing Caruso had moved on.
"I told myself at the start of the summer, ‘I want to be a two-way guy,’ " White said. "And Coach always challenges me on that. He always talks about that leap that I had a few years ago. Last year it kind of went down with the usage rate and the amount of minutes. I want to get back to being that guy on defense that can be relied on, be very detail-oriented on that side of the ball."
Ayo Dosunmu: The Left-Handed Hope?
The way White sees it, the Bulls currently have guards that can defend at a high level, but only certain matchups. If it’s an athletic ball-handler then Zach LaVine is the better matchup, if it’s a taller guard then Giddey, and if it’s a more physical guard then White wants his name called. That’s fine, but what about a guy that can just lock down a player no matter what the strengths or weaknesses are? Enter Ayo Dosunmu, the fourth-year guard who was on the floor in the final few minutes Wednesday, as Donovan was making one last push to try and make a run back into the game.
The Conclusion
Coby White hopes the line can start behind him, but even he acknowledges that someone has to be able to lockdown a player regardless of the matchup. The question is, who will step up and take on that responsibility?
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will Coby White be able to improve his defense and become the lead guard for the Bulls?
- Coby White hopes to become a two-way player, but even he knows that someone has to be able to lockdown a player regardless of the matchup.
- Can Ayo Dosunmu fill the void left by Caruso’s departure?
- Ayo Dosunmu is a key reserve for now, but even he knows that someone has to be able to lockdown a player, regardless of the strengths or weaknesses.
- Is there a lack of defensive-minded guards on the Bulls roster?
- Yes, there is a void left by Caruso’s departure, and the search for someone to fill it continues.
