Caruso feels 'as close to 100%' healthy as possible originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Alex Caruso was a full participant in a rigorous Chicago Bulls practice Tuesday afternoon, the team's first as it began preparations for its first-round playoff matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
That's news because Caruso missed the Bulls' final three regular-season games managing a sore back. Even before officially logging absences, the defensive-minded guard's minutes — and play — deteriorated as he endured spasms in the area.
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But with Game 1 of the Bucks series looming on Easter Sunday, Caruso says he feels "as close to 100 percent" as he can at this point of the campaign.
"I feel good," Caruso told reporters Wednesday. "I practiced yesterday, woke up today with normal body feeling after a long hard practice. (Today, I) stretched, got some weights in, did our film, and then shot. Felt good."
Caruso's ability to operate full-tilt is crucial for the Bulls to have any chance of upsetting the defending champions. His defensive impact — both on and off the ball, plus as a communicator — were missed at multiple points of the regular season, when injury-related absences limited him to 41 games. Those ailments ranged from foot and hamstring strains, to a bout with COVID-19, to a fractured right wrist, to the back spasms.
The latter, in particular, dragged down his level of play at both ends before he took a seat after the team's April 5 loss to Milwaukee.
"I don't feel like he's looked like himself in several games," said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. "He hasn't defended like he normally can defend. He hasn't been able to move like he normally moves. And I don't think it's anything more than a guy's trying to fight through his back and trying to give us everything he's got."
Caruso concurred.
"It started hindering me on our four-game trip (March 24-29) after the Milwaukee game (on March 22). Just coming back after missing so much time (with a right wrist fracture), and then you just beat up your muscles for a while in your back, there's a little soreness and I just didn't have enough time to recover," Caruso said. "It didn't feel good, obviously, I think my play kind of showed that."
Caruso played 13 games, including nine starts, between his return from wrist surgery and the back-induced absence, and shot just 32.4 percent (12-for-39 from 3) in those appearances. In the final two, he missed all eight of his field-goal attempts and averaged less than 22 minutes.
Based on this week's developments, expect Caruso to look more himself when this series tips off Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
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