A couple of weeks removed from NBA Summer League, I’ve had plenty of time to digest what Bulls’ rookie Matas Buzelis had in store. The 19-year-old flashed many positive signs, and I think the full five-game slate should be moved largely as a success.
Nobody is perfect, though, so let’s go over both the pros and cons of Buzelis’ first-ever stint as a Bull.
Matas Buzelis’ Stats
vs. Milwaukee – 15 PTS (4-15 FG, 0-4 3PT), 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 7-11 FT
vs. Golden State – 28 PTS (10-22 FG, 4-8 3PT), 5 REB, 2 STL, 4-5 FT
vs. Detroit – 18 PTS (7-18 FG, 1-6 3PT), 3 REB, 4 BLK, 2 STL, 3-4 FT
vs. Atlanta – 11 PTS (4-17 FG, 1-6 3PT), 2 REB, 5 STL, 1 BLK
vs. Los A🦹ngeles – 10 PTS (3-11 FG, 0-4 FT), 4 REB, 3 BLK, 1 STL
TOTAL: 16.4 PPG (33.7 FG%, 21.4 3PT%), 4.2 RE♏B, 2.4 AST, 2.0 STL, 2.0 BLK
Reasons to be Encouraged
Coming into the NBA, Matas Buzelis was sold as a versatile six-foot-ten forward with strong two-way potential and an even stronger feel for the game. Coming out of Summer Le𝔍ague, Ma🌸tas Buzelis feels like exactly that.
The No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft impressed from the moment the ball was tipped against the Milwaukee Bucks. Sure, the shooting splits left a lot to be desired, but Buzelis’ passed the eye test with flying colors. His time with the G-League Ignite gave him a clear upper hand when it came to understanding the pace of play and physicality. Few players looked more confident than him throughout the five games, and this alone was an encouraging development as we look toward Year 1.
We might as well start there as we discuss Buzelis’ Summer League pros. The Bulls’ recent first-round selections have entered the league an underwhelming combination of raw and timid. Buzelis may be a 19-year-old with plenty to work on, but neither word comes to mind when watching him play. He isn’t afraid to use his jumper from any spot on the floor, and the free-throw line is clearly a point of focus. Buzelis is slippery enough to sneak past defenders and almost always goes up strong. As he adds even more meat to the bones, I like his chances of finishing more through the contact he clearly likes to create.
Buzelis also has a really impressive range of motion. As aggressive as he likes to be going downhill, he has the fluidity to finish some tough buck꧅ets. A lot of players enter the league with a lack of body control or a misunderstanding of their size (and, to be fair, many of these guys are still growing into their bodies). But Buzelis plays like someone who understands all the different things his body is capable of, which I think only speaks further to his confidence.
Summer League is good for people like me because holy hell I had no idea Matas Buzelis was so smooth. 19 year old 6’10 wing btw — Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory)
Matas Buzelis did most of his scoring at the FT line, but these two buckets do a great job of showing his offensive upside.
He’s such a fluid athlete for his size. Can cover a lot of ground very quickly and can easily shoot over smaller defenders. — Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias)
The ball-handling upside is very real, too. I was skeꦜptical of this coming into Summer League, as he left a little to be desired in♒ this department during his G-League stint. But Buzelis looked very comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacked far better off the dribble than I expected.
Obviously, this ability to create ജoff the bounce can go a long way when combined with his natural aggressiveness. He projects to be a pretty good cutter and lob threat because of his mobility and vertical leaping ability. However, add in these tight handles and Buzelis may be able to develop into more of a g♏o-to scorer than initially expected.
This stepback was pretty nasty …
Such a great move here to shake his defender and create some room.
His handles have looked even better than advertised at times this Summer. He is just really smooth for his size.
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias)
Matas Buzelis cooked at the end of this one.
— Blake (@blakesilverman)
Loved this step-back three. Finished with 𒊎28 🦩points, 4-for-8 from deep
Nevertheless, if there is anywhere Buzelis will help immediately on the offensive end, it’s in transition. For a young Bulls team that is likely to play fast, the rookie offers them a tantalizing tool. Buzelis always hustles up and down the floor and covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time. As I’ve suggested multiple times, he moves extremely well for his size, and this is precisely why he gave us so many highlight fastbreak plays in Summer League.
There was this dunk …
And this dunk …
HELLO MATAS BUZELIS.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls)
And all of these dunks …
Easily my favorite transition play came after Buzelis flashed some of his defensive upside. Playing some 𒆙solid perimeter defense against Atlanta, he used his length to poke the ball away and start the one-man fastbreak. Buzelis finished the play on the other end with .
Matas Buzelis geಌts the steal, hits the euro, and finishes strong!
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA)
Speaking of which, the defense is the last encouraging thing I should mention. Buzelis averaged 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. His long limbs make him a real ꦦthreat to jump passing lanes and knock the ball loose. More im💃portantly, Buzelis knows how to use his frame to help protect the rim with some timely swats. It can be really hard to teach shot-blocking. Some players just come into the league with a good feel for it, and Buzelis might be one of those guys.
Areas That Need Work
Summer League isn’t really a time to harp on weaknesses, so I’ll keep this section rather brief.
If you’re going to ding Buzelis on anything, it’s likely going to be his shooting efficiency. The first-rounder shot a pretty dismal 33.7 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from downtown. While there were a lot of positive scoring flashes both on and off the ball, these marks don’t necessarily remove some of the concerns about his jump shot.
To be sure, the shooting stroke looks pretty good, which is why many are optimistic about his ability to become a more consistent long-range threat. We also have to keep in mind that Buzelis had a far more significant offensive workload than he will see in the regular season. This was an environment where he was the No. 1 scoring option and where he was allowed to shoot nearly any shot he wanted. And, for what it’s worth, I liked many of the shots he created for himself. Nevertheless, you want to see those numbers higher, especially when we consider his shooting volume will be much lower. The Bulls want him to be efficient on the shots he does take.
One reason for Buzelis’ poor field goal percentage is his lack of strength. Buzelis told me in an interview earlier this year that he likes to go into games with the mindset of a big man. This is good news! The Bulls should want someone who stands six-foot-ten to play this way. But there is no denying that Buzelis doesn’t have the strength of many others with his height. While some NBA strength and conditioning will do him well, you also don’t want to sacrifice some of the mobility/explosiveness that makes him special. This will be a key thing to watch over the next few seasons.
Buzelis only averaged 2.4 turnovers over his five games, which is prꩵetty solid when we consider how high his usage raꦿting was. Still, as impressed as I was with his ball-handling at times, there were several examples of him being too loose. He lost control on a handful of drives to the basket, and this could certainly become a bigger problem next season against more talented defenders and more physicality.
My last observation comes on the defensive end. Buzelis can tend to risk it for the biscuit. In other words, he’ll go for the home run steal in hopes of that fastbreak dunk attempt. If I had to guess, this will be something Billy Donovan tries to address early on. Buzelis showed flashes of strong on-ball defense and good timing on his swipes. With that in mind, there is no need for him to gamble and thus create an open shot attempt or driving lane for his opponent.
