Bulls' Caruso wins NBA's 2023-24 Hustle Award
Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso won the NBA's 2023-24 Hustle Award, the league announced Thursday.
The award is given to the player whose effort and impact might not appear in the boxscore.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and Golden State's Brandin Podziemski finished second and third, respectively.
Caruso is at the top of the league for a number of the NBA's hustle stats. The 6-foot-5 wing is first in deflections per game, fifth in loose balls recovered per game, and seventh in charges drawn per contest.
A member of the 2022-23 All-Defensive First Team, Caruso also tallied 1.7 steals per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. Caruso and Boston Celtics veteran Derrick White were the only two guards to average at least one steal and block per game this season.
This is Caruso's first Hustle Award. He is the second Bulls player to receive the honor; veteran Thaddeus Young won while he was a member of the Chicago organization in 2020-21. Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart is the only player to win the award more than once.