Championship pedigree usually travels well.
There’s always outliers, where an NBA player fresh off a title run joins a new team with high expectations of his arrival, only to see those quickly doused thanks to injuries or dysfunction, but for the most part having hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy often leads to also leaving fingerprints of influence on new teammates.
The sample size is very small, but the Bulls are already feeling that from Alex Caruso.
Whether it’s his no-look dimes on the offensive end or doing the dirty work on defense, Caruso has already become a fan favorite at the United Center, as well as being praised for his leadership and IQ by his teammates.
The latest example of that came in the preseason finale against Memphis, where Caruso was actually telling teammates what the Grizzlies’ out-of-bounds play was and where to go. That led to a jump-ball, and the Bulls stealing the possession.
“He does that in practice, he does it … he’s a big talker,’’ guard Zach LaVine said of Caruso. “I like it.’’
What’s not to like?
Playing alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles and getting a daily dose of how he prepared for the details of the opposing team’s game plan, yeah, that’s going to plant a seed in a then-younger player like Caruso. Then factor in the high expectations James and the Lakers played under, that seed is going to grow.
That’s why Caruso had so much praise for James.
“Anytime LeBron is on your team, you’re playing for a championship,’’ Caruso said. “It’s not a secret. If he’s on your team, it’s pretty much like you go to the Finals and try to win a championship. If you don’t win it, it’s kind of a failure.
“That’s kind of the ridiculous status quo that he has put upon himself after so many years of success. Just being around that kind of atmosphere, day in and day out, and being around older guys who have been around the league and won championships like LeBron, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, you could just see there was a different type of mantra to them. How they carried themselves, how they competed, how they played. It was something I was just fortunate to be a part of.’’
Maybe that’s why the Bulls looked a bit “Showtime-ish’’ throughout an undefeated preseason run. The starting five obviously played well, but Caruso stood out in his bench role, finishing with a plus/minus of plus-54 in those four games, which was by far the highest mark of all the reserves.
What will be interesting now that the games start counting on Wednesday when the Bulls open the regular season in Detroit, is how coach Billy Donovan uses Caruso, especially late in games?
Could Caruso close games in a three-guard attack because of his defense? Will Donovan make him a key fixture when the Bulls go small in certain matchups?
Questions only the regular season will answer.
What isn’t a question, however, is what Caruso’s impact has been.
“He’s a great communicator,’’ Donovan said. “He sees things before it happens. He’s got a great voice, he really does. He’s really smart, he’s tough, he does all the little things and also I think the one thing I also respect about him he really holds himself to a high standard of accountability.
“When he’s making mistakes or not doing things he knows he should be doing out there he’s the first one that’s on himself to where he has to get better. He always thinking about things to help the group.’’
