CHICAGO — Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine were cleared to fully participate in the first Chicago Bulls practice Tuesday ahead of the NBA playoffs, somewhat easing injury concerns as the team prepares to face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 Sunday.
The Bulls went full speed in a series of scrimmages to prepare for their first postseason since 2017. Coach Billy Donovan said this provided an important test for LaVine’s and Caruso’s physical readiness.
“It was more like a training camp practice,” Donovan said.
The longevity of the Bulls’ postseason run could rely on the health of LaVine (knee) and Caruso (back), who were sporadically sidelined through the latter half of the season. LaVine began experiencing tightness and discomfort in his left knee in February, taking a week to receive injections in California before the All-Star break.
LaVine maintained his offensive production despite the injury, but the lack of mobility sometimes limited his aggression slashing toward the rim.
Caruso’s injury is similarly unpredictable. He returned from a seven-week long recovery for a fractured wrist only to begin experiencing back spasms last month, asking out of a game against the Miami Heat before missing the last two games of the season. Donovan said the two-game break appears to have alleviated Caruso’s discomfort, but the repetition of the playoff series will be the ultimate test.
“Obviously we’ll have to monitor just how he’s feeling after this,” Donovan said. “This is the best he’s felt, according to him. Recovery and time helped.”
If his back spasms remain alleviated, Caruso could return to the starting lineup for the series as starting point guard. The Bulls will need an unrestricted version of both guards to compete with the reigning champion Bucks, who swept them 4-0 this season.
Donovan said the Bulls won’t practice at the same intensity through the rest of the week, but he plans to structure scrimmages to help both players regain their comfort with potential lineups for the series.
“From a chemistry standpoint, getting them back playing again is important,” Donovan said. “These guys for so many months, outside of the guys that have been injured, have been in some kind of rhythm pretty much every other day or back to back.”
