Thank goodness for Matas Buzelis, who is starting to remind us on a nightly basis that it’s not all bad for the Chicago Bulls.
While the rookie’s eight-game double-digit scoring streak came to an end in a tough matchup against the New York Knicks, he bounced back immediately on Saturday afternoon. Buzelis had one of his best quarters of the season against the star-studded Phoenix Suns, shooting 4-5 from the field in the opening frame for 10 points, 3 rebounds, and a block. The 20-year-old first found himself with a breakaway slam opportunity off the early Suns turnover. Two minutes later, he brought the ball up the floor only to fly past Bradley Beal with a windmill gather step for an easy finish over Tyus Jones. If you haven’t seen the slo-mo version yet, you’re missing out! This is a great example of why his combination of ball-handled and size can be so dangerous. One move and the rook was at the basket in no time.Matas Buzelis with the SMOOTH gather in the lane ??PHX-CHI | NBA League Pass pic.twitter.com/zIy40pSKJn
— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2025 Buzelis’ next two makes came from behind the arc. Only a handful of games after going right after Jimmy Butler with a stepback three, he did the same to Kevin Durant on the wing. The second bucket from downtown came off the catch-and-shoot over the top of Devin Booker. All things considered, this first-quarter run for Buzelis proved to be a perfect representation of the star potential he possesses on the offensive end. The ball-handling, in particular, continues to be an extremely encouraging development. I know there was a lot of talk about his three-point shooting, but I always thought his jumper looked solid and thus wanted to wait to see him with some NBA-level coaching. Conversely, I thought his ball-handling with G-League Ignite was extremely loose at times. It’s not easy to tighten the screws with a six-foot-ten frame, but he’s starting to do exactly that in only one season’s time. I thought it would take at least a year in the pros for him to look this comfortable.Still thinking about these two buckets from Matas Buzelis last night. Brings the ball up the floor and uses a crazy gather step to get to the rim. Then, a freakin’ step back over KD!A great representation of the very high potential he holds offensively. pic.twitter.com/l6sOHLu62H
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) February 23, 2025 The Suns were able to keep Buzelis in check after that strong start, but the rookie still did enough to catch the attention of an NBA Legend. Kevin Durant praised the Bulls’ No. 11 overall pick, expressing his fair share of optimism about the future. At the same time, he preached a clear message to fans and franchise executives alike:“I like Matas,” Durant told Bulls dot com. “I liked him when he was in the G-league. He’s long, athletic, can shoot it. He’s definitely going to have some bumps and bruises as he gets through his first few years in the league trying to figure stuff out. But the more experience, the more reps he gets on the floor as a starter, the better he’ll become …
Just give him some time to grow. I know it’s so exciting to have a young, athletic wing here. That’s a premium in the league when you want to get younger. These draft picks are a premium. It’s always going to take time for a player to find out who he truly is. People can’t rush that. When you’re 6-9 and you can do all the things on the floor like that, it’s going to take a while for a coach or a team to kind of know exactly where they need to put you. It’s going to be a journey that everybody is tuned into and is excited about, including me.”
Durant’s words should hold a lot of weight, especially as the Bulls enter this transitional phase. Not only does he know better than almost anyone about what it takes for a player of Buzelis’ makeup to succeed, but he also knows that teams can get ahead of themselves. As optimistic as we all are about Buzelis, he shouldn’t immediately be viewed as the Bulls’ savior or even the new No. 1 option. Should his development be a priority? Of course. But the Bulls can’t burden him with digging the organization out of the mud. As Durant suggests, continue to uplift him and see what that leads you. Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls driving on Jakob Poeltl of the Toronto Raptors – © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images To no surprise, Buzelis also sounded a bit star-struck after matching up with the two-time champ.Matas Buzelis on Kevin Durant: "Great experience. Great player. It was just really fun taking on the challenge of playing against one of the best players ever. It was fun."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 23, 2025 Despite six straight losses on the board, the Bulls STILL haven’t moved out from the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia continues to spiral, and the latest news about Joel Embiid’s knee doesn’t necessarily bode well for the team turning things around. Do I think they’ll fully throw in the towel and tank the rest of the way? Not necessarily, but it is an option that is likely looking more and more intriguing by the day. With that said, the Bulls’ lead for the No. 10 spot did shrink on Saturday night. With Philly’s latest loss coming to the Brooklyn Nets – who were tied in the standings – Jordi Fernandez’s squad is now just a half-game out from the Play-In Tournament. They have far less of a reason to steal the spot from Chicago than Philly, which has me skeptical that their winning will continue. But, hey, Brooklyn is 7-3 in their last ten games. While angling for a higher draft pick is certainly in their best interest, I’m not going to complain if they keep building momentum! Josh Giddey has back-to-back 20-point games for only the second time in a Bulls uniform. We are finally seeing him use his size advantage and initiate a level of physicality in the halfcourt. He has now shot at least eight free throws in two of his last three games, and he was a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe last night. Equally as encouraging, he has made at least three shots from downtown in each of the last three games! While he’s gone through his dry spells, Giddey is shooting a career-high 36.1 percent from deep on roughly 4.0 attempts a night. Lonzo Ball doing Lonzo Ball things …LONZO SAID NO SOUP FOR YOU pic.twitter.com/un1y3JIPaW
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) February 22, 2025 Nikola Vucevic grabbed his 10,000th career rebound on Saturday night.Nikola Vučević is the ninth player with 10,000+ career rebounds who played for Chicago during their NBA tenure, joining Tyson Chandler, Andre Drummond, Pau Gasol, Charles Oakley, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, Nate Thurmond and Ben Wallace, per Bulls PR.(h/t @EliasSports) t.co/QY5GC7HxtN
— Drew Stevens (@Drew_H_Stevens) February 22, 2025 It’s beginning to feel a lot like baseball season! Brett has plenty of springing training news to discuss! Who is headed to the Bears in the latest mock drafts? Luis compiled them for you and shared his thoughts.ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Matas Buzelis’ Great First Quarter, KD Praises the Rookie, Here Come the Nets? And Other Bulls Bullets )
Also on site :