Bulls G Alex Caruso wins NBA’s Hustle Award

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso was named the 2023-2024 winner of the NBA’s Hustle Award on Thursday.

The award honors players who “put in the effort that doesn’t often appear in the traditional box score, but does impact winning on a nightly basis.”

Caruso, 30, averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 71 games (57 starts) this season.

He also excelled in the so-called “hustle statistics”, leading the league in deflections per game (3.7), finishing fifth in loose balls recovered (1.0 per game) and seventh in charges drawn (0. 17 per match).

Caruso was an All-Defensive First Team selection in 2022-2023 and finished third in the NBA with 120 steals in 2023-2024.

He is the second Chicago player to be honored in the eight-year history of the Hustle Award, following Thaddeus Young (2020-2021).

Toronto’s Scottie Barnes finished second behind Caruso, followed by Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski, Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort and Charlotte’s Grant Williams.