Chicago Bulls Predictions: Alex Caruso will be the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year

Why Alex Caruso will win Sixth Man for the Chicago Bulls: 3. He’s an underrated athlete

Standing near the Sacramento King’s logo at the Golden 1 Center, Alex Caruso is tightly guarded by second-year player, Terence Davis. Without room to put the ball on the floor, Caruso makes an entry pass to veteran Center Marc Gasol, who is standing at the elbow near the free-throw line. Caruso immediately makes a backdoor cut, blowing by Davis in the process. Gasol hits Caruso with a perfectly timed bounce pass. He then proceeds to catch it in the paint, elevate immediately, and throw down a vicious dunk over veteran wing Moe Harkless. It’s this type of sneaky athleticism that has earned Caruso the nickname “Bald Eagle,” among others.

There’s an old saying that the best athletes in the world play in the NBA. That’s not to knock the elite athleticism that it takes to play any professional sport, but the general consensus is that pro basketball players have the most unique mix of strength, agility, speed and timing of any athlete in the world. Standing 6’4″ tall, weighing 185 lbs. and coming out of his high school class ranked number 81 in the nation, Alex Caruso was never credited for eye-popping athleticism like Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies or Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.

However, since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, Caruso has had more than his fair share of surprising displays of athleticism, both in the half-court setting and on the fast break. When Caruso suits up for the Chicago Bulls next season, the best dunker on the team will easily be Zach LaVine. However, fans in the Windy City should expect more than one poster dunk from their newly acquired wing player. It is plays like those that will grab the attention of the basketball world and could help Caruso become next season’s Sixth Man of The Year.