Alex Caruso excited about the defensive potential of the Chicago Bulls' second unit

The second unit's defense has the potential to be awesome.

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls' defensive lynchpin, Alex Caruso, is excited at the prospect of teaming up with some like-minded players on the second unit to wreak havoc on the defensive end of the floor. 

Windy City defense last season was a bright spot in a season that did not have plenty, and this season’s defense could be even more stifling with the addition of a couple of defensive stalwarts in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.

Caruso gets some help

For all of Caruso’s defensive skills, he looked spent at times trying to cover one player after another. With the Bulls’ offense sputtering, the onus was on the defense to prevent the opposing team’s offense from running wild.

This season, the Bulls’ second unit should be able to alleviate some of the pressure off of Caruso and give him more room to operate defensively. With Carter providing some tough on-ball defense, Craig cleaning up the glass, and Ayo Dosunmu orchestrating everything from a playmaking standpoint, Caruso should be able to focus more on making plays off-ball and being disruptive in passing lanes.

“If we have me and Ayo and Drum on that second unit and we add those two pieces (Carter and Craig), it’s going to be hard to get a good shot off against that second unit if we’re locked in,” Caruso said. “Once we do, we have multiple ballhandlers and can break out and run a little bit.

Jevon Carter looks good in red.@nextlevel_03 | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/o7EtLbfYmb

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 8, 2023

Terrific fit

The Bulls did not make any wholesale moves in the offseason. However, they did make a couple of low-key but significant free agent signings when they nabbed Carter from division rivals, Milwaukee Bucks and Craig from the Phoenix Suns.

Carter is a bulldog defender who often covers opposing guards the full length of the floor. On the other hand, Craig is a tremendous rebounder and can play both forward positions. Both Carter and Craig fit perfectly into the Bulls’ system, and it should help them become a much more competitive team this upcoming season.

“I’m excited. (Carter and Craig) fit really well for the mentality that me and Ayo and Drum have played with the last couple years,” Caruso said.

Most Rebounds in the Last Decade:

9,506 — Andre Drummond
8,040 — DeAndre Jordan
7,933 — Rudy Gobert
7,471 — Nikola Vucevic
7,003 — Jonas Valanciunas pic.twitter.com/U9rSwC17zv

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) October 9, 2023