NBA Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in Sixth Man of the Year race

Given the contract situations with Zach LaVine (a lot of long-term money) and DeMar DeRozan (expiring)... there's a chance Alex Caruso is actually the Chicago Bulls' most valuable trade asset, or close to it. He's going to have roughly 29 teams interested in his services should the Bulls make him available before the trade deadline, and there's a reason why.

Caruso is on the shortlist of best guard defenders in the NBA. He's a beast at the point of attack, fighting over screens, moving his hips to stay with twitchy ball-handlers, and using brute physicality to stonewall drives. He can switch too, often battling players several inches taller than him — and winning.

He's equally menacing away from the ball, always tuned in to Chicago's scheme and where the ball is moving. His basketball I.Q. shines through on every watch and he ranks third in the NBA with 3.5 deflections per game. He's averaging 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks in 23.4 minutes per game. The activity level and anticipation skills are positively nuts.

That would be enough to sew up Caruso's sixth man case, but he's also useful on offense. He doesn't post the guady scoring numbers typically associated with his award, but Caruso shines in his role as a connective passer and dirty work extraordinaire, always cutting, screening, and moving without the ball. He averages 8.6 points (a career high), 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on .608/.448/.733 splits. He may not be an initiator, but he finishes plays efficiently and keeps the offense humming with his quick processing.