Introduction

Some players score 30 points and still lose the game. Others play 28 minutes and quietly change the entire outcome. Alex Caruso is firmly in that second group. If you have followed the NBA over the last few years, you know the name. But do you really understand what he does?

When you look at Alex Caruso defensive win shares 2023-24 for the 2023-24 season, you start to see a picture that box scores alone cannot paint. This metric digs beneath the surface. It tells you how many wins a player creates purely through defensive effort. And for Caruso, that number tells a story that most casual fans completely miss.

This article breaks down exactly what Alex Caruso’s defensive win shares mean in 2023-24, why the advanced stats back up your eyes, how he stacks up against the best defenders in the league, and what makes him so frustratingly hard to stop. Whether you are a stats nerd or a highlights-first fan, you will come away with a new level of respect for the Bald Eagle.

What Are Defensive Win Shares and Why Do They Matter?

Before we talk Caruso specifically, let us make sure you understand the stat.

Defensive Win Shares (DWS) is an advanced metric developed by Basketball Reference. It estimates how many wins a player contributes to his team through his individual defensive performance. It factors in defensive rating, minutes played, and team defensive context. A higher number means the player is creating more wins on the defensive end alone.

Here is why it matters for understanding Caruso:

• Traditional stats like steals and blocks miss a huge chunk of defensive value.
• DWS captures effort that never shows up on a highlight reel — positioning, communication, deterrence, and switching.
• It rewards players who guard multiple positions and protect the rim without fouling.

So when you ask about Alex Caruso defensive win shares 2023-24, you are asking: how many times did this man literally win games for the Chicago Bulls through defense alone?

The answer is impressive.

Alex Caruso’s 2023-24 Season at a Glance

Let us set the scene first. The 2023-24 season was Caruso’s final year with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played in 71 games. He averaged 28.7 minutes per night. These are not superstar numbers. He was not the focal point of any offense.

But look at what he did:

• 10.1 points per game (career high at the time)
• 3.8 rebounds per game
• 3.5 assists per game
• 1.7 steals per game
• 1.0 blocks per game
• 40.8% from three-point range on 4.7 attempts

Those are strong numbers for a player not asked to be the first or second option. But the defensive numbers are where things get truly special.

The Advanced Defensive Numbers That Define His Season

Defensive Box Plus/Minus: Top 10 in the Entire League

Basketball Reference tracks Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) across the whole NBA. In 2023-24, Alex Caruso ranked seventh in the entire league with a DBPM of 2.3, placing him alongside names like Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Think about that for a second. A 6-foot-4 undrafted guard was delivering defensive value comparable to some of the biggest, most physically dominant players in the world.

DBPM measures how many points per 100 possessions a player costs the opponent above a league-average defender. A 2.3 is elite. It means Caruso’s team gave up roughly 2.3 fewer points per 100 possessions every time he was on the floor compared to an average NBA defender.

Deflections, Steals, and Blocks: A Historic Combination

Here is a stat that almost nobody is talking about. Caruso was the only player in the entire league in 2023-24 with at least 130 made three-pointers, 100 steals, and 60 blocks. He was the first player to hit all three of those milestones in a single season since Robert Covington in 2020-21.

Let that sink in. He is shooting efficiently from deep, stealing the ball over 100 times, and blocking over 60 shots. That combination is extraordinarily rare. Most players can do one or two of those things. Very few can do all three.

He was also the only NBA player that season to post at least 120 steals and 70 blocks, both career highs for him.

Deflections and Hustle Stats: Leading the League

Caruso led the NBA in deflections per game during the 2023-24 season, finished second in total deflections, ranked third in steals, and placed seventh in loose balls recovered and three-point shots contested.

Deflections are one of the best raw indicators of active, disruptive defending. When you are leading the league in that category, you are forcing more turnovers, speeding up offense’s decision-making, and creating chaos that benefits your entire team. Caruso did that better than anyone in the NBA.

He also drew 12 charges on the season. That is another underrated hustle number that does not always get credit but absolutely impacts winning.

Why Defensive Win Shares Perfectly Capture Caruso’s Value

Defensive Win Shares are built for players like Caruso. Here is why.

Most traditional stats reward volume. Points, rebounds, assists — they are all counting stats. The more you play, the more you accumulate. Defensive Win Shares adjust for context. They account for minutes. They look at team defensive performance when a player is on the floor versus off it.

When Caruso was on the floor with the Bulls, Chicago’s defense yielded 106.5 points per 100 possessions. When he came off the court, that number jumped to 112.5. That is a swing of six full points per 100 possessions. In a league where winning teams typically have a net rating advantage of three to five points, a six-point defensive swing is massive.

That six-point gap feeds directly into his Defensive Win Shares number. Every time the Bulls kept a game close or pulled out a win because their defense tightened up, Caruso deserves a meaningful share of the credit.

The All-Defensive Team Recognition He Earned

Caruso was named to an All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive year in 2023-24. In 2022-23, he earned First Team honors. In 2023-24, he received Second Team recognition. That second-team selection came in the year the NBA moved to positionless All-Defensive squads, meaning he competed for a spot against every player in the league regardless of position.

Think about what that means. He is a 6-foot-4 guard competing against elite big men and athletic wings for the same defensive slots. He earned one of the ten most coveted defensive recognitions in the sport.

He is widely regarded by analysts and fellow players as one of the greatest and most versatile defenders of his generation. Known for his ability to seamlessly switch across multiple positions, Caruso has consistently been trusted with guarding elite frontcourt players in key games without disrupting team defensive structure.

How He Guards Players Much Bigger Than Him

One of the most impressive and least discussed aspects of Caruso’s game is his ability to guard players who have no business being guarded by someone his size.

During a November 2023 game against the Phoenix Suns, Caruso matched up with Kevin Durant in 14 half-court matchups according to Second Spectrum. 13 of those matchups came in the fourth quarter or overtime. Durant did not score a single point in those 13 clutch matchups, including a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer in regulation.

Kevin Durant. One of the most unstoppable scorers in NBA history. Held scoreless in crunch time by a guy most fans would not pick first at their local gym.

That is Caruso. He reads angles. He studies tendencies. He uses his footwork and IQ to compensate for any physical mismatch. His defensive DBPM ranking alongside frontcourt stars like Wembanyama and Jokic reflects exactly this kind of impact.

The Hustle Award and Culture He Brings

Caruso won the NBA Hustle Award in 2023-24. This award goes to the player who best exemplifies effort, energy, and above-and-beyond defensive intensity. It is voted on with input from coaches, players, and executives.

Winning this while also earning All-Defensive Second Team is rare. It shows that Caruso is both statistically elite and universally recognized for his work ethic. His teammates and opponents alike know exactly what he brings.

“He helps the entire team, lifts the energy and he pretty much quarterbacks the defense when he’s out there,” Zach LaVine told ESPN. That quote tells you everything. Caruso is not just defending his own man. He is organizing the entire defensive unit on every possession.

Why His Undrafted Story Makes This Even More Remarkable

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Caruso spent time in the G League before signing with the Lakers on a two-way contract in 2017. He became the first player to go directly from the G League to the NBA via two-way contract.

Nobody gave him a guaranteed spot. Nobody handed him a role. He built every bit of his reputation through obsessive effort and intelligent play. The fact that he is now ranking top ten in Defensive Box Plus/Minus among all NBA players — ahead of centers, power forwards, and decorated veterans — is genuinely remarkable.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of people who didn’t think I’d be in the NBA, who didn’t think I’d be on a championship team, didn’t think I’d be first-team all-defense,” Caruso said. “I don’t ever rule anything out because I continue to impress myself with the heights I can reach.”

That mindset drives every number in his stat line.

Caruso’s 2023-24 Defensive Stats: Quick Reference Table

What Made His 2023-24 Season Different From Previous Years

You might remember that Caruso’s 2021-22 season was derailed by injury after Grayson Allen’s flagrant foul broke his wrist. He missed significant time. In 2022-23, he played 67 games but dealt with a nagging foot issue. His stats dipped in several categories.

In 2023-24, he arrived healthy and with a clear offensive plan. Going into the season, Caruso asked himself how he could most help his team improve. Given that he was coming off his first All-Defensive First Team selection, he decided to be more aggressive offensively and let it fly more from three-point range.

That decision worked perfectly. His three-point attempts nearly doubled. His shooting percentage held steady at 40.8%. His points average hit double digits for the first time. And his defense never slipped.

His numbers across the board represented career-high marks, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 three-pointers in 28.7 minutes per game. That is a complete player operating at peak efficiency.

How Caruso Compares to Elite Defenders That Season

When you evaluate Alex Caruso defensive win shares 2023-24, it helps to see who he shares space with at the top of the defensive rankings.

Players ahead of him in DBPM included Jokic, Wembanyama, Isaiah Hartenstein, Kyle Anderson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Every one of those players is either a big man or a versatile wing with a significant size advantage. Caruso is the shortest, lightest player in that top group.

Most guards who rank highly in DWS do so through steals volume. Caruso does it through a combination of steals, blocks, deflections, positioning, and active switching that forces opponents into bad shots and turnovers across all three levels of the court.

He does what most guards simply cannot do.

The Trade to Oklahoma City and What It Says About His Value

On June 21, 2024, Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey. The Thunder are one of the most analytically driven organizations in basketball. They do not make moves based on feel. They trust the numbers.

And the numbers said: get Caruso.

Oklahoma City already had a top-tier defense. They added him because his Defensive Win Shares, his DBPM, his deflection numbers, and his on/off impact all pointed to the same conclusion. This man makes defenses significantly better. For a team chasing a championship, that matters enormously.

In his first season with the Thunder, Caruso earned his second career NBA championship after the Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers. His defensive value translated immediately to a different system, a different roster, and a championship result.

The Takeaway: Stop Sleeping on the Bald Eagle

If you look only at the basic box score in 2023-24, you might give Caruso a polite nod. Ten points, decent boards, decent assists. Fine player.

But once you dig into the Alex Caruso defensive win shares 2023-24 season, something shifts. You realize you are looking at one of the most impactful defensive players in the entire NBA. A player who leads the league in deflections. Who guards players a half-foot taller and 50 pounds heavier in crunch time. Who was named All-Defensive for the second consecutive year. Who won the Hustle Award. Who created a six-point defensive swing every single time he stepped on the court.

Advanced metrics do not lie. Caruso is not just a role player making hustle plays. He is one of the reasons teams win games. In 2023-24, the numbers proved it more convincingly than ever before.

The best part? He is still getting better.

Conclusion

Alex Caruso’s 2023-24 season was the best of his career. His defensive win shares tell a story of a player who consistently outperforms expectations, outworks his physical limitations, and outthinks opponents who have every size advantage over him. A seventh-place DBPM ranking among all NBA players, consecutive All-Defensive Team selections, the Hustle Award, and a historic steals-blocks-threes combination all point to the same conclusion: Caruso is elite on defense, full stop.

If you have been dismissing Caruso as just a hustle guy who gets lucky steals, the data disagrees. Look at the metrics. Watch the on/off numbers. Track the deflections. Then tell your friends that the Bald Eagle might be the most underrated defender of his NBA generation.

What do you think makes Caruso so uniquely effective compared to other guards trying to guard multiple positions? Drop your take in the comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What were Alex Caruso’s defensive win shares in 2023-24? Caruso posted strong Defensive Win Shares in 2023-24, supported by a Defensive Box Plus/Minus of 2.3, which ranked 7th in the entire NBA. His combination of steals, blocks, and deflections placed him among the very best defenders in the league that season.

2. What All-Defensive Team did Alex Caruso make in 2023-24? Caruso earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2023-24. It was his second consecutive All-Defensive Team selection, following his First Team appearance in 2022-23.

3. How many steals and blocks did Caruso average in 2023-24? He averaged 1.7 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game in 2023-24. He was the only NBA player that season with at least 120 steals and 70 blocks, both career highs.

4. What is Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) and why does it matter for Caruso? DBPM measures how many points per 100 possessions a player saves above a league-average defender. Caruso’s 2.3 DBPM ranked 7th in the NBA in 2023-24, meaning his team saved roughly 2.3 points per 100 possessions every time he was on the floor versus an average defender.

5. Why did the Chicago Bulls’ defense improve so much with Caruso on the court? When Caruso played, Chicago allowed 106.5 points per 100 possessions. When he sat, that number rose to 112.5. That six-point swing shows his direct impact on team defensive performance.

6. Did Caruso win any awards in 2023-24? Yes. He won the NBA Hustle Award in 2023-24, awarded to the player best exemplifying maximum effort and energy on both ends of the floor.

7. How does Caruso guard players who are much bigger than him? He relies on elite footwork, disciplined positioning, anticipation, and film study. He guarded Kevin Durant in crunch-time during a 2023 game and held him scoreless in 13 late-game matchups, demonstrating that IQ and preparation can overcome physical size differences.

8. Was 2023-24 Caruso’s best defensive season? Statistically, yes. He set career highs in steals, blocks, points, rebounds, and assists while maintaining elite defensive metrics across every advanced category. It was the most complete season of his NBA career.

9. Why was Caruso traded to OKC after such a strong season? The Thunder traded Josh Giddey to acquire Caruso specifically for his defensive impact. OKC is a data-driven franchise, and Caruso’s advanced defensive numbers made him an ideal fit for a team building toward a championship.

10. Is Caruso a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate? He has put himself firmly in the conversation. Caruso himself said he never rules anything out after people told him he would never make an All-Defensive team or win a championship. His back-to-back All-Defensive selections, DPOY-level metrics, and championship pedigree make it a realistic goal.

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Author Name: James Holloway

About the Author : James Holloway is a sports writer and NBA analytics contributor with over eight years of experience covering professional basketball. He specializes in advanced metrics, player development stories, and the undervalued contributors who quietly shape playoff outcomes. His work has appeared across multiple sports platforms, and he has a particular passion for players who succeed through intelligence and effort rather than raw athleticism.