<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3-bold-predictions-for-Lonzo-Ball-in-his-first-season-with-the-Chicago-Bulls.jpg"></figure><h1>Chicago Bulls X-factor for 2021-22 season, and it’s not Lonzo Ball</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-16T15:56:48-07:00">September 16th, 3:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-16T15:57:19-07:00">September 16th, 3:57pm</time><address><a>Allana Tachauer</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There is no debating it, and Lonzo Ball knows it: The Chicago Bulls went to work during the 2021 NBA offseason.</p><p>After a 31-41 finish to their 2020-21 season, which left them eleventh in the Eastern Conference and without the possibility of a playoff appearance, the newly revamped front office knew they had to make some major changes. While coming into the year naming Arturas Karnisovas as executive vice president of basketball operations and replacing Jim Boylen with Billy Donovan was absolutely a step in the right direction, keeping the prior roster mostly intact, did not cut it.</p><p>Between having too often to rely on Ryan Arcidiancono and Coby White to play floor generals, holding onto a crunch-time liability in Denzel Valentine, and hoping for better hands out of Cristiano Felicio, there was only so much that squad as constructed, could accomplish.</p><p>So come August, the Bulls hit the ground running, determined to make the most out of 2021 Free Agency – and they succeeded.</p><p>Now there are a handful of moves that Chicago should be applauded for, including signing DeMar DeRozan, a veteran that many other teams (most notably the Miami Heat) were also gunning after. The four-time NBA All-Star may be 32-years-old, but he certainly still has plenty of gas left in his tank. As a member of the San Antonio Spurs last year, the swingman averaged 21.6 points on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, alongside 4.2 rebounds, and a career-high 6.9 assists a game. He also has six playoff runs under his belt, with last postseason being the first he has missed since 2013.</p><p>Another offseason win for the Bulls, albeit bittersweet, was finally getting Lauri Markkanen off the books. The 7-footer, who joined the team in 2017 after first being drafted by the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/minnesota-timberwolves">Minnesota Timberwolves</a> and then traded with Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Jimmy Butler and the rights to Justin Patton, showed incredible upside; having attended the University of Arizona, Markkanen was labeled “the best shooting 7-footer college basketball has ever seen,” with performances like scoring 30 points against rival Arizona State, to back it up. But unfortunately, between injury, a poor offensive fit and problems with personnel, the Finland-native just did not live up to the hype and was shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade (that landed former Portland Trail Blazer Derrick Jones Jr., in Chicago).</p><p>Perhaps the most applauded offseason win though, was signing Lonzo Ball. Coming off of his fourth season in the league (split between time with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans">New Orleans Pelicans</a>), the 23-year-old has already made quite a name for himself (and not only thanks to Big Baller Papa Bear, LaVar Ball). Although he is known for being more of a playmaker than a shooter, having averaged 11.7 points a game on 39.7 percent shooting over his career, he stepped things up last year, averaging 14.6 points on 41.4 percent shooting (37.8 percent from three). Other aspects of the guard’s game did not take too great a hit either, as he still averaged 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per contest (in comparison to 5.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.5 steals, over his career thus far).</p><p>However, despite the fact that he will undoubtedly have a large hand in positively impacting the team this season, he will not be the Bulls’ 2021-22 X-Factor.</p><p>That title actually belongs to LaVine.</p><p>Entering his fifth season in Chicago, the 26-year-old has obviously already brought plenty to the table for this organization. Last year, he averaged a whopping 27.4 points per matchup on 50.7 percent shooting (going 41.9 percent from downtown), alongside 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists – all career-highs. He was also selected to the 2021 All-Star Team, the first Bull to do so since Jimmy Butler in 2017, and was named to Team USA.</p><p>But Bulls fans will be getting an entirely new LaVine come this year, with a reconstructed roster allowing for his role to shift.</p><p>For example, while he may indeed remain the team’s leading-scorer, he does not have to be; between DeRozan thriving with the ball in his hands (he <a href="https://www.bleachernation.com/bulls/2021/09/15/actually-zach-lavine-and-demar-derozan-can-fit-together-just-fine/" rel="noopener">finished</a> third-highest in the league on ISO buckets last season) and Ball’s continued <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/investigating-exactly-what-changed-in-lonzo-balls-shooting-technique-since-trade-from-lakers/">commitment</a> to his improving his shot, LaVine can balance out his shooting with creating more opportunities for teammates and being a solid option on defense.</p><p>Concurrently, what can be expected from LaVine’s scoring, is an increase in release from three-point land. The star has steady improved his three-ball since arriving in Chicago, but with guys DeRozan and Ball facilitating pick-and-rolls (with Nikola Vucevic also being known to throw a pretty pass), he will likely get even more looks from deep.</p><p>It also has to be mentioned that LaVine is absolutely entering 2021-22 with a chip on his shoulder, which is something the organization could use to its advantage. It is no secret that No. 8 is looking for a well-deserved <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10012136-zach-lavine-on-bulls-not-extending-his-contract-its-business" rel="noopener">payday</a> and with a contract-extension looming, fans should definitely expect a more aggressive, confident version of their shooting guard.</p><p>There may be a new era of Chicago Bulls basketball on the horizon, but the headlining act will still remain.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chicago Bulls X-factor for 2021-22 season, and it’s not Lonzo Ball

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/liangelo-ball-lamelo-ball-lonzo-ball-shang-chi.jpeg"></figure><h1>LaMelo, LiAngelo, Lonzo Ball star in hilarious Shang-Chi promo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-09-04T16:58:26-07:00">September 4th, 4:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-09-04T17:04:03-07:00">September 4th, 5:04pm</time><address><a>Arlos Sara</a>Arlos Sara graduated with a degree in Psychology. He is an NBA writer and editor for ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation. Back in the day, while other kids were consumed by their toys and comic books, young Arlos was already thumbing through the pages of sports magazines.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Marvel Studios expanded their cinematic universe with the release of the movie entitled “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” In one of the film’s promotions, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lamelo-ball/b6f909d8">LaMelo Ball</a>, Lonzo Ball, and LiAngelo Ball can be seen talking about their father as part of a funny skit.</p><p>Sorry, LaVar.</p><blockquote>Lonzo: “No matter what I do, it’s not good enough for my father. He’s constantly pushing me, controlling me. Am I wrong?”Melo: “Yeah, I feel you.”Gelo: “It’s like you’re reading my mind.”</blockquote><p>Check out the full video below.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Ball Brothers                 Shang-Chi<br>                                   🤝<br>              Dads all up in their business</p><p>Marvel Studios' <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShangChi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ShangChi</a> and The Legend of The Ten Rings is now playing in theaters! Tickets: <a href="https://t.co/CL8klUvOVh" target="_blank">https://t.co/CL8klUvOVh</a><a href="https://twitter.com/ZO2_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ZO2_</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LiAngeloBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@LiAngeloBall</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MELOD1P?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MELOD1P</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ESPN</a> <a href="https://t.co/wqcepfkGRQ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/wqcepfkGRQ</a></p><p>— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1433906153675628545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Just like LaMelo, Lonzo, and LiAngelo’s hilarious portrayal of their father, the movie’s main character also has daddy issues of his own. It just so happened that Shang-Chi’s beef with his dad holds a slew of significantly larger implications.</p><p>The movie protagonist’s old man, Xu Wenwu, is the main villain in the film. Powered by ten mythical rings, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of the <a href="https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Mandarin">Mandarin</a> formed a heinous group called the “Ten Rings.”</p><p>When it comes to LaMelo, Lonzo, and LiAngelo Ball’s father in LaVar, he entered the consciousness of NBA fans when Lonzo was getting ready for the NBA Draft in 2017. The proud father of three didn’t hold back each time a mic was in front of him with the spotlight turned on.</p><p>LaVar stepped away from the limelight after Lonzo was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. When LaMelo was drafted by the Charlotte Horners in 2020, LaVar was seen more often but he’s been a shadow of his old self in terms of braggadocio.</p><p>That’s a good thing, right?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LaMelo, LiAngelo, Lonzo Ball star in hilarious Shang-Chi promo

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-7-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Kendrick Perkins’ bold Lonzo Ball claim isn’t going to sit well with ex-teammate Zion Williamson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-21T17:57:57-07:00">August 21st, 5:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-22T17:01:26-07:00">August 22nd, 5:01pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kendrick Perkins has been known to make more than a few contentious comments over the past few years. However, it seems like he might be on to something with his bold take on Lonzo Ball’s upcoming season with the Chicago Bulls. Perk’s latest statement probably won’t make Zion Williamson too happy, though.</p><p>Perkins randomly shared his thoughts on a <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1429238669790093314">Twitter</a> survey asking which player is going to elevate their game the most next season. The one-time NBA champ did not hesitate in his response — he gave a resounding vote for Lonzo Ball:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lonzo Ball!!! Carry on… <a href="https://t.co/vM1nLdNBLp" target="_blank">https://t.co/vM1nLdNBLp</a></p><p>— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1429238669790093314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Did Perk just pick the new Bulls recruit as the NBA Most Improved Player winner for the 2021-22 season? Well, not directly, but based on the enthusiasm in the above tweet, it is clear that Perkins is extremely high on Lonzo Ball.</p><p>For what it’s worth, Lonzo Ball isn’t a frontrunner for the NBA Most Improved Player Award this coming season. The <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/most-improved/">bookmakers</a> have given him +3000 odds to bag the coveted award. Guess who Vegas has at the top of the list? Yup. Zion Williamson.</p><p>Zion didn’t take the league by storm in his second year last season. However, things could be different this year. The 21-year-old appears to be fully healthy. Ironically, the departure of now ex-teammate Lonzo Ball from the Pelicans could actually work in favor of Williamson. There have been rumors of the Pelicans wanting to experiment with Zion as their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-could-be-the-reason-why-new-orleans-lets-lonzo-ball-walk-in-free-agency/">primary playmaker,</a> and Ball’s exit leaves the door wide open for Williamson.</p><p>Lonzo Ball has gone through a number of significant twists and turns in his still-young NBA career, but the common thread knitting together his NBA playing stops — previously the Lakers, then the Pelicans — is that he was on a roster which wasn’t in an ideal position to win a championship. Many will say, quite reasonably, that he still isn’t in position to win big in Chicago. We will see if he can change the narrative around his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kendrick Perkins’ bold Lonzo Ball claim isn’t going to sit well with ex-teammate Zion Williamson

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image_2021-08-15_103142.png"></figure><h1>Bulls star Lonzo Ball’s 2-word take on Alex Caruso that LeBron James surely agrees with</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-14T19:37:13-07:00">August 14th, 7:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-14T19:37:13-07:00">August 14th, 7:37pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have found their way back together with the Chicago Bulls. The pair both came from the Los Angeles Lakers before Ball was shipped off in the deal that brought Anthony Davis.</p><p>Speaking out on his newest Bulls teammate, Ball summed up Caruso’s impact in two words.</p><p><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2021/8/14/22624866/believe-the-hype-alex-caruso-just-what-the-bulls-needed">Via</a> Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun Times:</p><blockquote>‘‘Perfect teammate,” Ball proudly claimed.“Anybody would love to play with him. He’s going to put the team first, and I know he’s definitely going to be appreciated in Chicago.’’</blockquote><p>Ball and Caruso spent two seasons together on the Lakers, which clearly made an imprint on the guard from Chino Hills.</p><blockquote>‘‘He brings a winning mentality to the team, first and foremost, as a champion, and he also brings that toughness, that grit, and he’s going to do all the little things,” Ball said of his new Bulls teammate.</blockquote><p>Alex Caruso’s numbers don’t jump out at you. The 4-year man averaged under six points per game throughout his career, with less than three rebounds and assists. But it’s his knack for making winning plays on both ends that the Bulls are hoping rubs off on their franchise during the minutes he does play. Anyone who gets LeBron James’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-reacts-to-alex-carusos-heartfelt-farewell-message-for-la/">seal of approval</a> is probably bringing great things to the table.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LeBron on his faith in Alex Caruso:</p><p>"When you try to play high-level basketball, you've got to have high-IQ players, and he's one of them… We love everything about him."</p><p>— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1307876060365684736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">September 21, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Chicago Bulls made a couple of big splashes in acquiring Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan. But the move to sign Alex Caruso might be the one that helps them build their identity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls star Lonzo Ball’s 2-word take on Alex Caruso that LeBron James surely agrees with

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lonzo-ball-demar-derozan-alex-caruso-bulls.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lonzo Ball hails fellow Bulls newcomer as the ‘perfect teammate’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-14T17:15:10-07:00">August 14th, 5:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-14T17:15:43-07:00">August 14th, 5:15pm</time><address><a>Arlos Sara</a>Arlos Sara graduated with a degree in Psychology. He is an NBA writer and editor for ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation. Back in the day, while other kids were consumed by their toys and comic books, young Arlos was already thumbing through the pages of sports magazines.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Now a member of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls">Chicago Bulls</a>, Lonzo Ball will have new stars to feed in Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan. While this stellar list of cast members excites the former second overall pick, Ball’s perfect teammate isn’t among these big names.</p><p>Instead, Ball sees this tag as befitting another Bulls newcomer in Alex Caruso, per <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2021/8/14/22624866/believe-the-hype-alex-caruso-just-what-the-bulls-needed">Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times</a>.</p><blockquote>‘‘He brings a winning mentality to the team, first and foremost, as a champion, and he also brings that toughness, that grit, and he’s going to do all the little things. AC is the perfect teammate. Anybody would love to play with him. He’s going to put the team first, and I know he’s definitely going to be appreciated in Chicago.’’</blockquote><p>Out of everyone on the Bulls’ roster, it’s Caruso whom Ball should know the most. They both played together for two years with the Los Angeles Lakers before Ball was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade.</p><p>Caruso owns one of the best underdog stories out of all active players. From being someone who was more popular as a meme rather than a basketball player, the 6-foot-5 guard out of Texas A&amp;M persevered en route to carving his niche in the NBA.</p><p>Now, Caruso, an NBA champion, is one of the league’s better guard defenders and owner of a four-year $37,000,000 contract. A low-maintenance player who gives his all each time he’s on the court should be a seamless fit in the Bulls’ scheme of things.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lonzo Ball hails fellow Bulls newcomer as the ‘perfect teammate’

Carmelo Anthony

Paul George

Damian Lillard

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Lonzo Ball

Klay Thompson

Dwight Howard

Pau Gasol

Anthony Davis

Blake Griffin

2017-18 All-Rookie

Los Angeles Lakers

New Orleans Pelicans

Career

2 seasons

https://twitter.com/ZO2_/status/1439343426592546826/

I thought my dad was overbearing… but #ShangChi might have me beat. Check it out in his movie, now playing only in theaters #ad 

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I thought my family dinners were entertaining. @theblackwidow In theaters and on #DisneyPlus with Premier Access July 9th #ad 

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That’s up there with D Fish no cap 🔥

https://twitter.com/ZO2_/status/1406448715255058442/

https://twitter.com/ZO2_/status/1380713779562999808/

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2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.6	4.8	5.7	0.6	1.5

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.6	4.8	5.7	0.6	1.5

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Bulls star Lonzo Ball’s 2-word take on Alex Caruso that LeBron James surely agrees with

Lonzo Ball hails fellow Bulls newcomer as the ‘perfect teammate’

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