MagicMatic wrote:Chuck Everett wrote:VeggieBurger wrote:
Can you break this down to me? Are you saying he isn't as good a team defensive player? I want o use Caruso as the archetype because he gets so much attention. Please let me know what Caruso does better than this guy. Keep in mind, I'm no analyzer of either, but what I saw tonight was DPOY type of performance. Maybe it's an anomaly, but if this is how this guy plays defense all the time he deserves All 1st team type attention.
Caruso's elite as well, but I watched Brunson give him 48 in Chicago. Dort completely will take a guy out of the game and make them not want the ball and unlike Caruso, he's durable.
How would you rank Suggs, Caruso, and Dort?
This is a tough one. Suggs is totally dominating Mitchell and Garland on the defensive end with intense physicality in the playoffs. I saw him do the same against the Pelicans twice this season.
Of the three, I believe Caruso is last because I don't feel you can just sic him on an elite scorer and ask him to hound a guy into shooting 6-23. Now some of this might be wholly unfair to Alex, because the Bulls lack the personnel to be elite defensively with no PF and Vooch/Drummond behind him. So, his ability to be an elite defender without a rim protector or other passable defenders around him (Dosunmu is decent) makes the case that he's even better than the stats success. How good would Caruso be if he had Isaac, Paolo, Wendell and Franz behind him? All that size? And then with Dort, he has a rim protector in Chet behind him, a charge drawing machine in Jaylin Williams and other two-way guards/forwards in Shai, J-Dub, Wallace and Wiggins.
So I can understand why CupcakeSnake beats the drum for Caruso so much. So after consideration, I will say, you really can't go wrong with any of the three. I just think ultimately that Dort's ball denial and ability to wall up without any help makes him the best of the three. He's a nightmare to go against for any elite offensive player.
Full disclosure, my eight best perimeter defenders that I saw this season are:
#1: OG Anunoby, New York (except against Maxey as he's simply too fast with the ball)
And then mix 'em up in a blender and pick who you prefer, but you can't go wrong with any of them.
Lu Dort, Oklahoma City
Alex Caruso, Chicago
Herb Jones, New Orleans (he really made Shai work for everything with his length, timing and lateral quickness)
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota
Jalen Suggs, Orlando
Jrue Holiday, Boston (I think he's the worst of these names, but he's still really good at POA)
Derrick White, Boston
KCP is in that next tier with Quentin Grimes and Keegan Murray.