Bucks trying to flip the switch, come together in Madison

MADISON - The Milwaukee Bucks know they have an opportunity to take a big step forward this season. With 13 members of last season's team back, the young but experienced squad has high expectations that are similarly felt by prognosticators and fans.

However, 14 days into training camp, the Bucks haven't demonstrated much to bolster those expectations. With the preseason being shorter to accommodate an earlier start to the season and more days off during the 82-game schedule, the Bucks are running out of time to round into form before their season opener on Oct. 18 at Boston.

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The team is winless in the preseason against three teams not expected to figure into the playoff picture. They've generally been outhustled and outworked at both ends of the court, regardless of whether starters or reserves were in the game. There also have been mental lapses, leading to missed defensive assignments and an average of 18 turnovers per game.

Some of that is to be expected during the preseason, but the struggles aren't fitting for a team that has a high level of continuity.

Following an off-day Saturday and Fan Fest on Sunday, the Bucks took camp on the road Monday to the University of Wisconsin's Nicholas Johnson Pavilion for the first of three days of practice there.

It didn't seem to go well.

Coach Jason Kidd, uncharacteristically drenched with sweat, barked out orders for players to get on the bus shortly after the session ended. Most were either still stretching, getting treatment, talking with the media, doing work on the court or collecting themselves. 

Kidd's frustration seemed to come from the team's apparent inability to flip the competitive switch and demonstrate that they're ready for the regular season. It's something he's bemoaned at multiple junctures this preseason as well as in the past when his team got up for games against the NBA elite but struggled against those at the bottom of the standings.

"We are familiar, but the big thing is we can't wait," Kidd said. "A group that's been together, we can't just rely on one person. We have to be able to, everybody has to be attuned to what they're doing. ...

"When you look at the champs (the Golden State Warriors) go to China and put up 140 points, they're sending a message to the rest of the league that they're ready to go. To be ready on the 18th, there is no waiting. No matter how much rest you have in between games you have to be prepared. With camp being shorter that's just the way it is."

The tense atmosphere following practice provided a rocky start to a three-day trip that is meant to help the team build chemistry. Part of the rationale behind practicing in Madison is to get the players away from their homes, families and normal routine so they instead spend more time with each other.

Upon arriving in Madison on Sunday, the players planned and shared a meal together. And they are expected to continue to dine together and plan other group activities.

"We go to dinners, that's one of the easy things, but we can go to movies, we watch basketball together," Malcolm Brogdon said. "I just think it's about bonding. I think it's about coming in here every day being away from whether it's your girlfriend, your family, everybody and just having each other.

"I think it's just the whole bonding experience that makes it more rich."

Guard Khris Middleton has already made attempts to bring the team together, helping coordinate the Bucks' off-season minicamp in Santa Barbara, Calif. Entering his sixth season, the veteran is trying to grow as a leader and push his teammates to get to the level they need to reach.

"It's a work in progress right now," Middleton said of his leadership. "Just trying to figure out what I can do to help this team get to the next level. We've got a young group, we've got a great group of guys and now it's just about coming together on the court and competing at a high level. ...

"We've still got a long way to go. We're 0-3 in the preseason, we had a tough practice today, but we're going in the right direction. It's going to take some time but we're going to get there."

Injury update: Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova participated in the non-contact portions of Monday's practice. Maker, who has missed all three preseason games with a right ankle injury, has been progressing with on-court work, even jumping for layups and dunks off his injured ankle. In his absence, rookie D.J. Wilson has gotten more opportunities in practice.

"Right now he's starting because Thon's out," Brogdon said. "He's going to have to play some big minutes for us this year and he knows that, but at the same time he has so much to learn (and) he doesn't know what to expect.

"It's going to be a constant learning experience, but he's smart enough and skilled enough and humble enough to have a great year."

Dellavedova has missed the past two preseason games, though at the time an injury had not been cited as the reason for those absences. On Monday, Kidd said Dellavedova is dealing with knee soreness but did not specify which knee.

Later, the Australian point guard left practice with a bag of ice covering his left knee.