The Milwaukee Bucks played without wing Wesley Matthews for the second consecutive game Wednesday versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the team is being “aggressively cautious” with his rehab.
Pre-game updates from Bud:
– Bledsoe will play more tonight (16min vs CHI), but still sounds like there is a minutes restriction.
– They are being “aggressively cautious” with Matthews. He should be good to go Saturday.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 1, 2020
Fortunately for Matthews, it appears that he will be cleared to return from his thigh ailment for Saturday's matchup versus the San Antonio Spurs. The Bucks have shown little incentive in pushing players into action over the first two-plus months of the year, having cruised to a 30-5 mark entering play on Wednesday.
Matthews has started all 33 games that he has suited up in during the 2019-20 campaign. Now in his 11th professional season, Matthews has never seen as limited of an offensive role as he has this year, averaging just 6.1 shot attempts and 7.8 points per contest.
There are multiple offensive mouths to feed for Milwaukee, which has thereby capped Matthews' scoring opportunities. However, he remains a reliable two-way part of the attack.
Only Robin Lopez has appeared in all of the Bucks' games up to this point. After having claimed the No. 1 overall seed last regular season with the franchise's first 60-win season since 1980-81, Milwaukee has comfortably cruised to victory on many occasions in 2019 — even without their full allotment of players.
Nonetheless, this fits Budenholzer's modus operandi of being “aggressively cautious” as it pertains to rehabbing an injury such as Matthews'.
Assuming that Wesley Matthews returns Saturday, second-year guard Donte DiVincenzo would likely reclaim his role as a reserve.
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