Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan with Alex Caruso
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls talks with Alex Caruso (#6) during Media Day at Advocate Center. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Alex Caruso's NBA career has been hampered by injuries in the past years. Heading into a new season, a big question for the Bulls is whether Alex Caruso is playing in Chicago's season opener.

On Tuesday, the 29-year-old Chicago Bulls guard was noticeably absent when they faced and lost to the Toronto Raptors, 106-102, in an NBA preseason matchup. Based on reports, the one-time NBA champion is dealing with a lower-body issue, tweaking his ankle during practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan.

Thankfully, the injury is nothing major after the 6-foot-5 player stepped on a foot in practice. He could play on Thursday, October 19, when the Bulls collide with the Minnesota Timberwolves, CBS Sports reported.

But with the 2023-24 NBA season fast approaching, the Bulls may want to rest Alex Caruso to allow his injury to heal fully. Playing in an exhibition game would prevent the possibility of seeing Caruso aggravate his tweaked ankle.

Donovan putting final preseason games to good use

The Chicago Bulls are down to their last two preseason games, and Donovan plans to use these matches as the final touches for their 2023-24 season, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

"My goal would be to try to get those guys relatively close to 30 minutes tonight," Donovan stated before their game against the Raptors. "Then the Minnesota game would be pretty close to a full rotation, maybe not quite fill in game minutes," he added.

The Bulls open their 2023-24 NBA regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 25.