MILWAUKEE — It’s become common practice for Alex Caruso the last few years.
The Bulls’ hard-nosed wing spends the offseason getting his body right — equal parts on the golf course and in the gym — and then the next six months destroying it.
That’s why coach Billy Donovan said on Sunday that the preseason will be key in making sure that there’s a balance of prioritizing Caruso preparing himself for the regular season, but at the same time protecting the first-team All-Defensive player from himself.
Not always an easy task.
“He lays it all on the line,’’ Donovan said. “If you look at a lot of Alex’s injuries, a lot of them have been acute injuries, things that have just happened on a particular play. I don’t think telling him — and I hate using the word reckless because it almost sounds like he’s out of control — but what he is he completely has no regard for his body when he plays.
“He’ll take a charge, he’ll dive on the floor for a loose basketball, he’ll go into the stands, he’ll screen, he’ll do all that stuff to impact the game.’’
And while Donovan has no intention of telling Caruso to dial his playstyle back, it wouldn’t work anyway.
Caruso has joked in the past about changing his playstyle, especially earlier in the season, and has always come back to the same conclusion.
It’s that style that took him from undrafted player out of Texas A&M to elite NBA defender, and there’s no turning back.
That doesn’t mean Donovan and the coaching staff can’t provide a safety net, however.
“I think there’s a time during these preseason games where it’s like what does he need to maintain his flow, his timing?’’ Donovan said. “You’re always trying to talk to Alex about that, and I think you need to get feedback from the player.’’
That’s what they did against the Bucks in the opener, giving Caruso his first-half minutes with the second unit, and then giving him a seat on the bench as a spectator in the second half.
Playing with force
The preseason games will be worth watching as far as Patrick Williams was concerned, but at this point in Year 4 for the former No. 4 overall draft pick it’s all about showing aggressiveness when the games actually count.
Williams hasn’t been hiding from that.
“A more forceful me,’’ Williams said of what he needed to put on display when the lights turn on in a few weeks. “I’ve shown it all, but now I think it’s time to put the pieces together. Put the puzzle together. For me it’s just going out there with the intent to be aggressive, to make the plays I know I can make on both ends.’’
Not that the preseason opener wasn’t a good first step, especially with Williams starting with the likes of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic – a core he’s usually been very passive with.
Williams, however, put up six first-half shots and scored eight points, finishing the game with 13.
No shows
While Donovan rolled out what could be his regular-season starting five, Milwaukee took a much different approach for the preseason opener.
Out were 2021 NBA Champion and Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, newly-acquired Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, as well as former Bulls guard Cameron Payne.
Not that Donovan was really bothered with what the opposition did.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with anything,’’ Donovan said of preseason success translating to the regular season. “Everybody is focused on their team. You’re really evaluating yourself so to speak.’’
