Bulls' Alex Caruso Wins 2023-24 NBA Hustle Award

Chicago Bulls veteran guard Alex Caruso is known for his impact on the game that goes beyond the stat sheet, and he was rewarded for just that.

On Thursday, the NBA announced that Caruso is the recipient of the Hustle Award for the 2023-24 season:

The NBA Hustle Award was established in 2017. Caruso is now the second Bulls player to win the award, joining Thaddeus Young in 2021. His win snaps the two-year win streak of Memphis Grizzlies veteran guard Marcus Smart, who has earned the award three times in his career and was limited to 20 games this season due to ankle and hand injuries.

Caruso beat out Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams to win the award.

The NBA noted that hustle stats include deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs. Caruso led the league with 3.7 deflections per game while ranking fifth in loose balls recovered (1.0) and seventh in charges drawn (0.17).

Coming off an All-Defensive first-team selection in the 2022-23 season, Caruso upped his game this past year. He appeared in 71 games with 57 starts and averaged a career-high 10.1 points with 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Caruso has been a popular name in the trade market for the past two years, but the Bulls have held firm in their refusal to deal him away. The Hustle Award is yet another addition to his resume that will make it more difficult for the teams that covet him to put together an offer that would convince Chicago to let him go.