(670 The Score) Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis began his first NBA season playing a minimal role off the bench. He’s now a starter on a team with playoff aspirations.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the 20-year-old Buzelis is averaging 13 points per game over his 31 starts since entering the Bulls’ lineup in February. His individual growth has come in conjunction with a plan set by head coach Billy Donovan, who wanted to let Buzelis get acclimated to the NBA game as a rookie before putting too much responsibility on his plate.
Donovan recognized the eagerness from fans to see Buzelis make an instant impact when the season started, but he explained to the Mully & Haugh Show on Tuesday how the team’s careful approach has paid off.
“I understand when you have a high draft pick, fans want to see the guy play, they want to see him out there, they want to see what he can do,” Donovan said. “And a big part of the NBA is the fans, them coming to games, and they want to see certain players play. I understand that. But organizationally, collectively from top to bottom, the responsibility we have is to try to help players understand really what it takes to be an impactful player and a winning player. So much in today’s game is about highlight reels and things like that. I think for Matas coming in as a very, very young player, he’s been always able to rely on his talent, and his talent is elite.
“Besides the ability to run and jump and shoot, what are the things that he can do to impact the outcome of games and be an impactful player besides his own stats? One, when he first came here, he’s going to get physically stronger as he gets older, there’s no question about that. He’s a very, very good worker, he’s competitive. There’s this part of him that he’s got this fearlessness about him where he’s not intimidated by things. I think he’s played against great players his whole life.
“If you got a team in the locker room and it’s just like, ‘Hey, we’re going to just play this young guy and we really don’t care what happens,’ then you’re not really focused on the winning aspect of it or what he’s got to do to become a winning player. He’s gotten better and he’s really leaned into a lot of that. The thing I respect most about that is he wants to be coached, he wants to be pushed, he wants it straight and he wants it very truthful and honest. He handles himself great with all of that.
“All these experiences now going forward are going to be totally new to him, but this is what you want over an 82-game schedule – have him in a meaningful situation where now it’s win tomorrow or you got to go home. I think a young player being in that situation will help him think less about his stats and his numbers and more about how can I impact the team and impact the group.”
Buzelis has averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 18.9 minutes across 80 games this season. He’s shooting 45.4% overall and 36.1% on 3-pointers.
The Bulls will host the Heat on Wednesday in the NBA’s play-in tournament. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT from the United Center. The game can be heard on 670 The Score and the Audacy app.
