Alex Caruso’s return for the Chicago Bulls highlights — and complements — Ayo Dosunmu’s growth as a defender

By the time Alex Caruso made his long-awaited return Saturday at the United Center, his defensive presence had become a sort of talisman for the Chicago Bulls.

As the defense slipped and the Bulls coughed up losses, players and coaches (and fans, of course) held on to the hope that “getting whole” would right the ship in time for the postseason. That hope started with Caruso — and he delivered in his first game back with as many steals (four) as made baskets in a 101-91 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But Caruso’s return also provided a benchmark for the growth of rookie defender Ayo Dosunmu, who shouldered the burden of the Bulls’ perimeter defense during the absences of Caruso and Lonzo Ball.

With Caruso back at his side, Dosunmu delivered a smothering performance in the win — including a pair of steals and blocks — that has become the standard for the newfound starter. As Dosunmu gets second and third looks at the best guards in the league, his ability to shut down elite scorers is only growing.

“I have always felt comfortable from day one putting him on different people,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I got a lot of confidence and belief in him. I know how competitive he is, I know how much of a team guy he is, and you just know he’s going to give everything and put everything into it. That’s not to say he’s going to be perfect, but when he does make mistakes, he’s going to course correct and get better from it.”

Donovan credits Dosunmu’s studiousness for allowing the rookie to quickly progress between matchups. The pair has taken time throughout the season to watch film together in one-on-one sessions, studying how Dosunmu should approach the NBA’s top guards.

Caruso noted a shift in Dosunmu’s approach to guarding crafty ballhandlers, leading with his feet rather than his hands, to avoid being swindled into a reach-in foul. He showcased that decision-making against the Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, snatching a ball off the All-Star’s hip for a full-court transition layup and swatting one of his shots from behind.

“Any time I play against another guard, I try to pick things up,” Dosunmu said. “I’m trying to get better and better each game. The information is there and it’s on me to take it and use it.”

Garland was already a point of emphasis for the Bulls after scoring 24 and 20 points against them in previous matchups. The Bulls utilized Dosunmu and Caruso against Garland, but the rookie was tasked with the primary assignment in the first half, holding Garland to 2-for-12 through 24 minutes.

Garland couldn’t be held back forever, and the Cavaliers guard finished with 25 points. But he still shot only 9-for-24 on the night, struggling to get downhill to create in the double-digit loss.

“I thought Ayo did a much better job than I did,” Caruso said. “We tried to put me on him in the second half and I got a little fatigued, I’m not going to lie. My feet were a little bit in mud, but Ayo in that first half was doing a good job of making everything tough, kind of shutting off his water.”

Even on praise-worthy nights, Donovan always finds plenty of plays for Dosunmu to improve. On Saturday, Dosunmu’s teachable moment was obvious: a rare flagrant foul in the third quarter.

In an effort to close out on the perimeter, Dosunmu slid under Rajon Rondo while the guard took a 3-pointer, knocking his legs out from underneath him. Rondo’s shot never had a chance of going in and he missed one of his free throws, but the play still showed Dosunmu where to limit his perimeter pressure.

“Those are momentum-changing plays,” Donovan said. “They make all three of those free throws and hit a 3, a 16-point lead goes to 10 basically with no time going off the clock.”

Caruso is often the first teacher — even before the coaching staff — for Dosunmu in those moments. The guard is quick to pull Dosunmu aside, pointing out where to position his timeouts and how to avoid picking up tick-tack hand fouls.

Dosunmu said this communication is invaluable from the bench, but it’s even more important when the pair is playing together, quickly switching screens and applying pressure around the arc.

“Pretty much everything he says is the truth, and I’m willing to accept it because it makes me a better player,” Dosunmu said. “I’m pretty sure it makes them better players and it makes us a better team.”

With Caruso back, the Bulls are regaining the teeth of their defense. Ball’s return is a looming question mark as the guard remains sidelined from contact drills, but even the pairing of Caruso and Dosunmu offers more bite than the Bulls could muster in recent months.

After the Bulls slipped to a bottom-third defense the last two months, Caruso and Dosunmu are eager to rekindle their partnership.

“We saw flashes of it earlier in the year,” Caruso said. “His range of versatility on defense is really big for us. For me, I’m just trying to get back in there and do what I do, disrupt stuff, and when you put it all together, I think we’ll be pretty dangerous.”