Some injury news that could be huge to note for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls this week could see the return of two-way point guard Alex Caruso back to the lineup on Jan. 19. It looks like the Bulls could be getting Caruso back for their Jan. 19 meeting with the division foe Cleveland Cavaliers at home at the United Center.
Caruso has missed more than a dozen games in a row for the Bulls as he’s dealt with multiple hurdles since originally experiencing a lower-body injury last month. The last game he played in for the Bulls came back on Dec. 20 against the Houston Rockets.
Chicago Bulls likely to see Alex Caruso back against the Cavs
While Caruso did exit the league’s health and safety protocols last week, he wasn’t able to make his return against the Boston Celtics (Jan. 15) or Memphis Grizzlies (Jan. 17). Yet, according to the latest NBA injury report on the night of Jan. 18, Caruso was upgraded to “probable” in the status of “return to competition conditioning” ahead of the Jan. 19 matchup against the Cavs.
Getting Caruso back, even in a limited capacity, would obviously be huge for Donovan and the Bulls. A true lack of depth throughout the rotation really showed up of late for the Bulls in the midst of this bad five-game losing streak. The Bulls were often blown out by opponents in the last 10 days or so that they were beating otherwise earlier in the season.
The Bulls also could get power forward Tyler Cook back for this meeting with the Cavs. Cook was upgraded to “questionable” on the latest injury report as he’s coming back from an ankle sprain.
Yet, the Bulls will still be missing the likes of point guard Lonzo Ball, star shooting guard Zach LaVine, shooting guard/forward Javonte Green, and forward Derrick Jones Jr., among others. While the Bulls shouldn’t be without Lonzo, LaVine, and Green for too much longer, these absences will still hurt against a surging team like the Cavs.
The Bulls are sporting a record of 27-15 following their loss to the Grizzlies on the road on Jan. 17. Tip-off time between the Bulls and Cavs at the United Center in Chicago is set for 7 p.m. CT on Jan. 19.