Chicago's Alex Caruso wins 2023-24 NBA Hustle Award

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso has been named the winner of the 2023-24 NBA Hustle Award. Caruso, a 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team selection, has won the NBA Hustle Award for the first time. 

Presented annually since the 2016-17 season, the NBA Hustle Award honors a player who makes the effort plays that do not often appear in the traditional box score but help determine team success. Hustle statistics include deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs.

In the 2023-24 regular season, Caruso led the NBA in deflections per game (3.7) and finished second in total deflections (265). He also ranked seventh in the league in both total loose balls recovered (73) and total contested three-point field goal attempts (221). Caruso drew 12 charges, making him one of 18 players to reach or surpass that total.

Alex Caruso’s Hustle Stats and Rankings

Caruso, who finished fourth in the league in steals (1.7 per game), led all players in deflections (3.7 per game), which disrupt the flow of the opposing team’s offense even if it does not lead directly to a steal or turnover.

Opposing players shot below their normal average from every measurable distance when being defended by Caruso: down 2.4% overall, down 1.3% from 3-point range and down 5.6% from inside six feet.

When he was on the court, Chicago posted a defensive rating of 110.6, which matches the second-best defense in the league. When he was off the court, Chicago’s defensive rating dropped to 117, which would rank 24th.

2023-24 Hustle Award Top Five Finishers