The worst stretch of Bulls basketball was with Ayo not playing or playing limited minutes. Effort, heart, teamwork, leadership don't always make the individuals stat sheet.
Oh please. Spare me the coach speak blather. Caruso's value to the Bulls is far greater than Ayo's. This analysis from the Ringer, who actually had Caruso ranked ahead of even Vuc in their top 100 NBA players right now, had this to say about Caruso:
"Terrific role player whom every superstar would love to play with. Few have a larger impact on winning without ever touching the ball."
"Forget about what he’s shooting from the field, how many shots he’s created, or the number of fouls he’s drawn. Caruso is here because he’s a winner who makes winning plays. That might sound like a reductive or antiquated form of analysis, and in 99 out of 100 cases it would be. But the Chicago guard does so many different things—some obvious, others microscopic—that nudge his team toward victory while reducing the likelihood that they’ll fall.
Three things in life are true: death, taxes, and Caruso’s team will be better on defense when he’s on the floor. He is concentrated energy on that end, wreaking havoc, amassing deflections at a mind-boggling rate, shouting rotational instructions to teammates who wouldn’t otherwise react so quickly. His talents might not be as appreciated on losing teams, but Caruso’s instincts can translate in the regular season as much as the playoffs. (He’s a quintessential “16-game player.”)
Caruso doesn’t need the ball to completely change a game. He doesn’t need a high usage rate or an above-average true shooting percentage, either. Just put Caruso on the floor and marvel at everything he does. He’s one of the most valuable role players alive."
www.nbcsports.com
