Matt Velazquez

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

OKLAHOMA CITY - In a span of about 12 hours, the Milwaukee Bucks went from their set-up in the volleyball locker room at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum to watching film and practicing at Oklahoma City University on Monday.

After an extended training camp schedule before preseason games began, the Bucks have jumped into the heat of NBA travel. Following Sunday's win in Ames, Iowa, the Bucks are set to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena to close out the road portion of their preseason slate.

“I think going on the road for a couple games, I always feel it’s better to go out for a couple games than just one game and come back," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The out-and-backs, to me, are not my favorites."

This trip marks Milwaukee's longest over its first month of action, as the Bucks don't have any more consecutive road games until a four-game Western Conference trip beginning on Nov. 6 in Portland. As such, the Bucks are using their two-game Midwest swing as a chance to both familiarize themselves with Budenholzer's way of doing things as well as to further build chemistry heading into the regular season.

When it comes to travel and scheduling, every coach and team does things differently. Coming off practicing and traveling on Saturday, Budenholzer opted to cancel the Bucks' shootaround in Iowa on Sunday, something that rarely happened in years past.

The way Budenholzer and his staff schedule film sessions, lay out the scouting report and set up pregame meetings is different, according to players, which means everyone needs to get used to the new routine and make sure to adjust accordingly.

"I think this is my sixth coach in six years – everyone does it differently," Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova said. "With a new coaching staff just getting used to their routine on the road (is important). ... I think that helps out and gets you ready for what you get in the regular season.”

The Bucks, who for the past couple seasons have spent at least part of training camp working out in Madison, are also trying to utilize their time away from home to bond as a group. There are fewer outside obligations and distractions on the road, which makes for more opportunities to hang out together, share meals and build chemistry.

“It helps us get a rhythm earlier," Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said of the preseason road trip. "It helps us learn how to travel together, how to get better chemistry. Down the line it’s definitely going to help because this is in-season-like.”

Getting together to develop chemistry has been a focus for the team for more than a month, dating back to mid-August when the team assembled in New York for a voluntary week of workouts. Following those sessions, most of the team gathered in Milwaukee for group training sessions and workouts ahead of training camp.

The benefits have already begun to show.

“You can tell the teams who got together over the summer,” Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague said after Sunday's game. “I think those guys spent a lot of time together over the summer, you can tell.”

Back in action: Dellavedova (left patella tendinitis) was a full participant in Monday's practice and is expected to make his preseason debut Tuesday night. He projects to immediately slot into the Bucks' deep guard rotation against Oklahoma City.

“He’s such a smart player, such a competitor and I think he just brings an edge to us," Budenholzer said. "I think the way we’re trying to move and play without the ball and space and I think him in pick-and-rolls where he’s making reads and decisions on corner threes and lobs, hopefully, he just adds another good decision-maker.”

Points of emphasis: The Bucks went over some areas that need to improve after watching Sunday's film. Among the main talking points were post defense and limiting fouls.

Milwaukee's 30 fouls Sunday night certainly stood out. Despite talks with referees and persistent lessons from the coaching staff, the Bucks are still adjusting to the league's freedom of movement emphases – rules they believe will ultimately benefit them.

“They’ve talked to us, we’ve had meetings as a team and they’ve told us we cannot put our hands on the offensive player or stop their movement, so we’ve got to get used to it," Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "At the end of the day, we have a tremendous advantage because we are so quick and we have length. We’re going to try to use our hands, keep our hands high, and not get silly fouls.”

Head-to-head: Following Monday's practice, which mostly consisted of group work with smaller collections of players spread out around the court, Antetokounmpo and roster-hopeful Christian Wood engaged in some one-on-one at one of the main hoops at Henry J. Freeze Wellness Center.

The two long, athletic players went hard at each other to the point where Antetokounmpo was soaked with sweat. Going against each other is nothing new, as the pair of 23-year-olds have matched up in workouts ahead of training camp as well as during camp itself.

Wood, coming off a strong 14-point performance Sunday, at times was able to hold his own, though he struggled to get into the lane against the bigger, stronger Antetokounmpo and had to settle for jump shots. When he had the ball, Antetokounmpo mostly worked on creating separation for his midrange and three-point shot, but every so often would put his head down and attack the hoop with Wood almost powerless to stop the MVP candidate.

“There’s no doubt Giannis, he just wants to work and work and work," Budenholzer said. "There’s going to be times when we need him to go and make a play, get a bucket in late clocks or certain situations. For Christian, as a young player, to develop defensively and work on his game, it goes without saying how beneficial it is to Christian.”