2024 NBA Draft - Chicago Bulls select Matas Buzelis with the 11th pick

[DASMACKDOWN]

Matas is a baller. Cant wait to see him on the real team. He is seriously impressive.

[madvillian]

Matas is a baller. Cant wait to see him on the real team. He is seriously impressive.

Mentality plus his offensive and defensive skillset makes him have a higher floor than I thought. I love his mentality. He doesn't have the legs for it yet too which is hilarious and can be fixed in time. I like a guy that will tucker himself out to the point of exhaustion trying to win the game over one that prefers to try and "save something".

His last dunk was crazy. I wonder if it was an ode to Derrick.

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[kodo]

I remember Doug "McThree" McDermott having a couple of great summer leagues and preseasons, so I'm trying to take Matas' performance with a grain of salt. Not gonna lie though. I'm still pretty high on him.

Doug was a 4 year player at Creighton and NCAA POY his senior year. He's the type of guy who should dominate SL. I see the situations very differently although agree with the general premise: don't get to hyped on results against non-NBA caliber competition.

Agreed, older guys like Jaquez and Knecht are doing very well as usual. And if Coby White was playing SL he'd be putting up ridiculous numbers, they're all 23. Buzelis is doing very well for 19.

The Pistons game Buzelis was defended by Holland, who's a defensive #5 pick. That's legit NBA competition, both Holland & Buzelis played pretty well I thought.

[JohnnyTapwater]

Just embrace it guys. It's okay.

Embrace the optimism.

[Jcool0]

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[NecessaryEvil]

I like our young pieces right now
Giddy/Ayo/White/Matas/PWill/JSmith is a nice start
I like Phillips as well (I don't count Terry-WHAT a bad pick)

Let them play, along with Vuc/Lavine (build up trade values) and see what happens. If we're in the Playin again-it will be that our young kids are better than we thought

If we made a play in this yr

That would be disastrous

Coby, Josh and Matas look like serious build blocks, the main piece could be 2025s lotto pick and there are a handful of great players there

[FriedRise]

He's really good at tracking the ball. Has really good feel / anticipation of when an offensive player is gonna go up, which helps with him contesting and getting all those blocks.

He also has really good handles for a player his size plus decent instinct reading the game and then translating it to whatever move/counter he needs to perform. He'll need to work on getting stronger to complete some of these moves he wants to make and also to be able to absorb contact against real NBA competition.

I thought he'd be more raw, but he might be more ahead of schedule. Like in comparison, I'd trust Matas more than say, Dalen Terry who we still don't know if he's an NBA level player.

And also those dunks. He completes them. I'm too used to our first/second year players missing dunks for no reason.

[madvillian]

He's really good at tracking the ball. Has really good feel / anticipation of when an offensive player is gonna go up, which helps with him contesting and getting all those blocks.

He also has really good handles for a player his size plus decent instinct reading the game and then translating it to whatever move/counter he needs to perform. He'll need to work on getting stronger to complete some of these moves he wants to make and also to be able to absorb contact against real NBA competition.

I thought he'd be more raw, but he might be more ahead of schedule. Like in comparison, I'd trust Matas more than say, Dalen Terry who we still don't know if he's an NBA level player.

And also those dunks. He completes them. I'm too used to our first/second year players missing dunks for no reason.

He has good hands! Thank the lord! We've had so many stone handed big men and big wings over the years. If nothing else it's easier on the eyes as fans to see a guy that is able to collect it and secure it and make his move.

[Chi town]

I know this sounds crazy and he’s a 19 yr old rookie but I am legit concerned Buz will threaten our tank pick.

I think his length and aggression will play right away and it will elevate the team much like Caruso. His IQ will open up the floor and his vertical spacing will help a ton. I’m concerned his hyper competitive edge will rub off on the older guys and we will be legit competing most games and win too many early, gain confidence, and ruin our tank pick.

… and I’m here for it!!! Kid is damn impressive. Don’t remember having anyone since MJ Pip and Jimmy with that edge. Kirk had that chip on his shoulder but Buz has the F it in the best player on the court watch me take over. Saw it last with Jimmy.

[sco]

I'm in the ten times burned 100 times shy camp. Career trajectory projecting off of SL is like picking a horse to win a race based on it's name. All I look for from SL (and actually from the regular season) are a number of flashes of strong play. I've forgive the being gassed issue. IIRC Pat had the same issue his 2nd SL when he was asked to play a bigger role on offense.

Still, the difference between a Tyrus Thomas type career and a Lauri career for Matas will be the development of a reliable 3 ball. It is really hard in today's game to keep a guy without a 3ball on the floor too long (unless your name is Vuc).

[Muzbar]

I know this sounds crazy and he’s a 19 yr old rookie but I am legit concerned Buz will threaten our tank pick.

I think his length and aggression will play right away and it will elevate the team much like Caruso. His IQ will open up the floor and his vertical spacing will help a ton. I’m concerned his hyper competitive edge will rub off on the older guys and we will be legit competing most games and win too many early, gain confidence, and ruin our tank pick.

… and I’m here for it!!! Kid is damn impressive. Don’t remember having anyone since MJ Pip and Jimmy with that edge. Kirk had that chip on his shoulder but Buz has the F it in the best player on the court watch me take over. Saw it last with Jimmy.

I'm not worried about Majin Buzelis disrupting the competitive losing, he's a 19yo string bean that will be trying to find his feet and fighting for a rotation spot.

Buzilla will definitely have alot of ups and downs this year IMO, but it'll definitely make him hungrier.

[DuckIII]

Giddey-Buzelis is gonna be a thing. I think these two, quickly and then much better over time, are going to play incredibly well off each other. I’m predicting some serious chemistry with those two.

I’m so starved for something other than the saltines-and-ketchup Bulls we’ve had to endure that I’m downright delirious imagining what it can look like with Giddey, Coby, Ayo, Pat and Matas getting out and running and sharing the ball.

And Zach should be great at it too but he’s never embraced it. He’s always preferred the half court. Just another reason he needs to go sooner than later.

But damn this could be a lot of fun.

[MrSparkle]

Looks great.

We all know that SL seriously doesn’t translate. Even if he looks great, rookie seasons are painful for most players barre the generational superstars. So whatever I’m saying, I’m not banking on wins nor some kind of stellar play.

This said, I’m doubling down. This is maybe one of our best all-around rookie prospects since the 80s: size, handles, defense, IQ. I swear, every time we’ve drafted a guy, they’re tall and clumsy brick layers (Noah, Chandler, WCJ), short and in between positions (Gordon, Hinrich, Coby), awkward ball handlers (Deng), soft (Lauri), etc. Sleepy timers (Pat, Snell)… Can’t hit the broad side of a barn (Terry).

Rose the exception, true superstar out the gate.. but Matas looks as good as our best rookies: Lauri, Deng, Hinrich… if not better, for the simple fact he’s tall, he can handle and isolate.

In many ways, Lauri was prob the best prospect we had (again, besides Rose). 7ft, 3P sniper, handles… and then he just hit a wall (and a lot of injuries, and bad coaching). I’d say Deng was up there too, and he kind of stagnated as well until Thibs got him into the all star games.

But Matas is exciting because he is a definitely skilled player with length and seemingly no major liabilities. I’m sure he’ll get crossed up and he’s not going to be an efficient scoring machine, but the potential to be a do-it-all forward doesn’t seem like a pipe dream.

But yes- we’ll see in the NBA. The handles/PnR might be totally ineffective against a real defense. All I know is his communication, IQ and ball control are at a higher level than Pat’s.

[Chi town]

I believe in him because I believe he has the superstar “it” quality inbetween his ears.

[kulaz3000]

Giddey-Buzelis is gonna be a thing. I think these two, quickly and then much better over time, are going to play incredibly well off each other. I’m predicting some serious chemistry with those two.

I’m so starved for something other than the saltines-and-ketchup Bulls we’ve had to endure that I’m downright delirious imagining what it can look like with Giddey, Coby, Ayo, Pat and Matas getting out and running and sharing the ball.

And Zach should be great at it too but he’s never embraced it. He’s always preferred the half court. Just another reason he needs to go sooner than later.

But damn this could be a lot of fun.

It's going to be ugly at times for sure, and there are fans that are going to be frustrated, but I always seemingly enjoy these rebuild Bulls periods provided there are decent young prospects to watch grow and develop, even amidst all the losses. And then when they put it all together, it just feels that much sweeter.

It's going to be a long road, but as you've stated, we've got a handful of young players we can root for and watch their growth, and that is a refreshing change as a Bulls fan, because I admit, I haven't been this uninterested in the Bulls the last two seasons, ever in my entire life. And being that I don't follow any other sports, or team beside the Bulls, it just meant that they were boring as hell, and I felt as though they weren't going anywhere any time soon with the way the team was built.

On a side note, I feel Pat is going to be traded, sooner rather than later. It's not even because I've lost hope in him as a player, but I don't think he fits in to that style of player, you are hoping for, and what I hope that the front office is foreseeing, whereas players like Coby, Ayo and Matas will thrive in. Pat theoretically fit in a fast paced offense, but I think he prefers half court play, and he isn't the most willing sprinter down the floor.

[League Circles]

This guy looks like an absolute star. Just jumps off the screen with his ability. If he's dedicated he'll be a very very good player.

Finally someone who **** DUNKS the ball whenever he can, which is a lot!

[FecesOfDeath]

His lack of length will limit him in the NBA, but he has defensive instincts that can't be taught. In some ways, his defense may become a little like Caruso, Jimmy, and Joakim in that they were able to overcome their below average measurables with smarts, instincts, and/or heart.

[Dez]

Giddey-Buzelis is gonna be a thing. I think these two, quickly and then much better over time, are going to play incredibly well off each other. I’m predicting some serious chemistry with those two.

I’m so starved for something other than the saltines-and-ketchup Bulls we’ve had to endure that I’m downright delirious imagining what it can look like with Giddey, Coby, Ayo, Pat and Matas getting out and running and sharing the ball.

And Zach should be great at it too but he’s never embraced it. He’s always preferred the half court. Just another reason he needs to go sooner than later.

But damn this could be a lot of fun.

For those that watched Australia vs US and what Giddey and Landale were doing in the pick and roll should expect something similar. Obviously Buzelis is better than Landale but the style should be similar with more athleticism.

[Tetlak]

His lack of length will limit him in the NBA, but he has defensive instincts that can't be taught. In some ways, his defense may become a little like Caruso, Jimmy, and Joakim in that they were able to overcome their below average measurables with smarts, instincts, and/or heart.

6'10 wingspan is "lack of length"?

[FecesOfDeath]

His lack of length will limit him in the NBA, but he has defensive instincts that can't be taught. In some ways, his defense may become a little like Caruso, Jimmy, and Joakim in that they were able to overcome their below average measurables with smarts, instincts, and/or heart.

6'10 wingspan is "lack of length"?

So, a 0/+1 wingspan to height ratio is considered great length? In contrast, the 6'7" Kawhi Leonard as a 7'3" wingspan.