The Chicago Bulls seemingly hit the jackpot with Matas Buzelis when they selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old swingman figures to be a key player for the team since he has impressed so far in the Las Vegas Summer League.
In three games in Sin City, Buzelis is averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 38.1 percent from the field. He is coming off a solid outing on Tuesday, as he recorded 18 points, three rebounds, two steals, and four blocks in their 85-77 loss against the Detroit Pistons.
NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson recently revealed on the Bulls Talk Podcast that the rookie forward has been studying film of former Utah Jazz stalwart Andrei Kirilenko, which is probably why he has stood out on the defensive end.
“My rookie year, I’m not going to have any plays ran for me,” Buzelis said on the podcast. “So I have to go play defense and be an energy guy and make open shots.”
“I already had instincts on defense. It was mainly watching film for me and seeing what position I have to be in and how far I have to be from the paint to go block a shot and how different guys finish in the paint. I already had the instincts, length, and athleticism,” he added.
Matas Buzelis has his work cut out for him to reach Andrei Kirilenko’s levels, as the former Utah Jazz forward was a one-time NBA All-Star, a one-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, a two-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and the NBA blocks leader in 2005.
With the Chicago Bulls losing DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso , Matas Buzelis will likely see plenty of minutes playing alongside Zach LaVine, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, and Josh Giddey, among others.
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