Maker and Dellavedova working through knee issues as season draws near

The Milwaukee Bucks rounded out their preseason campaign with a dominant 143-121 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday morning, though the Australian contingent for the Bucks contributed little.

It was a small, somewhat distracted crowd that witnessed the demolition job, as the hometown Milwaukee Brewers played off in Game 1 of the National League Championship series at the nearby Miller Park.

Game preparation has been less than ideal for both Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker this preseason, with both players suffering from knee issues.

Dellavedova was listed as available for the preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday morning, but was not featured in the Bucks rotation in what could be an ominous sign moving forward. The last of these warmup games was designed to be a dress rehearsal, as Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer looked to get his rotation in sync before the season opener next week.

Speaking after the game, Budenholzer was as pleased as he could be with the group he started with.

"I think the group feels like they've got a lot that they can do and accomplish. starting from the Summer and through September and October," Budenholzer said.

While Dellavedova is theoretically the third string point guard and potential lead backup behind Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon, Budenholzer instead chose to play rookie Donte DiVincenzo and Tony Snell with the previously mentioned guards splitting their minutes throughout.

With the Bucks up 116-83 heading into the fourth quarter, Delly entered the game for the first time. He would only see 8:52 of court time, as the game had well and truly fizzled out to become a glorified pick up game. He would dish out three assists, but missed both of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Maker on the other hand was an early scratch, being listed as left knee soreness. It was his second missed consecutive game so far.

While Maker was unavailable for comment, he did complete a solid workout on court before the game and shared with The Pick and Roll he would be heading in for more work and treatment after. It's too early to speculate on his status for the season opener next week, but the injury does appear to be on the minor end of the spectrum.

The Bucks are heading into the start of the regular season full of steam, but for Thon and Delly, a battle for court time is about to ensue.