Alex Caruso, Bulls reserves have makings of another Chicago bench mob – The Athletic

Patrick Williams was stationed in the right corner, a place to which hes often floated only to become a forgotten man.

But early in the second quarter of the Chicago Bulls preseason finale, a switch flipped. Williams settled no more.

He hauled in a dribble-handoff from Derrick Jones Jr., maintained continuous offensive flow by working his way back to the top of the arc and shoveled a pass to Alex Caruso. But Williams immediately set a screen for Caruso. And after using his burly 6-foot-8 inch frame to dwarf Carusos defender with a textbook pivot, seal and roll, Williams had a lane to the hoop. Caruso saw it and exploited it, threading a bounce pass leading Williams to the rim. Williams did the rest, throwing down a forceful dunk in traffic.

What you might not have caught was Carusos conversation with Williams in the aftermath. Caruso lingered following the play and threw up both arms in Williams direction. It was exactly what Caruso had been waiting for Williams to do.

I talked to him about that kind of action, him chasing it into a ball screen and me hitting him in the pocket, a play before or two plays before, Caruso said. Just trying to get him to recognize where his advantage is and where I was going to be able to get him the ball to be aggressive and attack.

And sure enough, two possessions later or whatever it was, he did it.

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Alex Caruso, Bulls reserves have makings of another Chicago bench mob - The Athletic