MILWAUKEE — It has become common practice the last few years: Bulls hard-nosed wing Alex Caruso spends the offseason getting his body right — equal parts on the golf course and in the gym — then the next six months pushing it to the limit.
Coach Billy Donovan said Sunday that the preseason will be key in striking a balance. Caruso has to prepare himself for the regular season, but at the same time, the first-team All-Defensive player has to be protected from himself.
It’s 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 hate using the word reckless because it almost sounds like he’s out of control, but 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.’’
Donovan has no intention of telling Caruso to dial down his playing style, but it wouldn’t work anyway.
Caruso has joked in the past about changing his style, 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 simply 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, then giving him a seat on the bench as a spectator in the second half.
Playing with force
For forward Patrick Williams, who’s entering his fourth season, it’s all about showing aggressiveness when the games actually count.
Williams hasn’t been shying away from that.
“A more forceful me [this season],’’ Williams said. “I’ve shown it all, but now I think it’s time to put the pieces together, put the puzzle together.
‘‘It’s just going out there with the intent to be aggressive, to make the plays I know I can make on both ends.’’
The preseason opener was a good first step, especially with Williams starting alongside Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. He always has had a tendency to get passive when playing with those three.
Williams, however, put up six shots in the first half and scored eight points. He finished with 13 points.
No-shows
While Donovan rolled out what could be his regular-season starting five, Milwaukee took a much different approach for the preseason opener.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, newly acquired Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and former Bulls guard Cameron Payne were out.
Donovan wasn’t really bothered with what Milwaukee did.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with anything,’’ Donovan said. “Everybody is focused on their team. You’re really evaluating yourself.’’
