Matas' in 5 years?

[pipfan]

I know there is a Matas Tracker thread, but this one has a poll and a specific question

I did this with PWill 4 years ago and asked people to predict his peak. The options were
Leonard (MVP-type), Pierce (long time All Star), Deng (longtime starter, marginal All Star), Trevor Ariza (longterm marginal starter), longterm rotation player or below. Sadly, it looks like my pick of a Deng-type outcome is long gone, and he looks to be a longterm rotation player who will have an unassuming 10 year NBA career

So, where do you see Matas ending up? First of all, he has already shown more spunk than PWill ever has. I like what I've seen so far, and I think he'll end up being a very good pick at #11 in a weak draft.

So, where do you see him when he enters his prime? I see him as a solid starter. I don't trust his offensive game to become an All Star, but I think he'll be a guy who can start on a contender, and MAYBE sneaks into an All Star game if things break just right

[dougthonus]

There is an incredibly wide band on this guy depending on whether he ever learns how to score efficiently. It's funny because he moves and looks like a really good scorer, but then he just isn't. His shot is really inaccurate even though the form and quickness of his feet looks good and he's willing to take high difficulty shots like step backs and side steps and uses a quick release. It's like all those things project into something good if it all comes together but no guarantees it will.

[Rose2Boozer]

Bench player. Matas Buzelis needs a lot of work. He will have to improve his body and his game. At this point, Matas Buzelis is neon colored clay. The organization is really doing him a disservice by not keeping him in the G League for at least the first half of the season. Buzelis needs to be in a situation where he can play extended minutes.

[ChettheJet]

He's not a 4 right now, he's a light 3, He needs to add weight, thighs and biceps so that he isn't pushed around. Yeah he's fluid and can run but tome, you see Giddey get a lot of rebounds because he's tall at the PG slot and not getting blocked out. If he was coming towards the basket as the SF, the defense would he more aware of where he's coming from. Matas can knife past a defender but he isn't going to bump anybody of of the way which is part of the inside game.

He needs to be stronger and he could be more in the Luol Deng Andres Nocioni style which would be pretty valuable.

[Chi town]

He needs to be developed on ball ala Franz and Tatum. Use him in the PNR both as the handler and screener.

Agree with Doug… looks likes he’s a scorer with the mentality to take the tough shots but they just don’t go in. Hopefully yet.

[cocktailswith_2short]

Hes going to be really good probably a couple of all star games and considerable defensive accolades . He's extremely raw and is on a team that is trying to win so his stats and role are diminished. If he played on the pelicans or jazz for instance he'd be stuffing the box score albeit with a lot of growing pains .

[Hangtime84]

If you like Brandon miller as a prospect then you should like Matas. Miller although is given to green light to fail and learn.

[KissedByaRose1]

A much more defensively versatile Franz Wagner =). Still super high on him, wish he'd get 20 minutes a night but whatever.

[dougthonus]

If you like Brandon miller as a prospect then you should like Matas. Miller although is given to green light to fail and learn.

I would think they're pretty different, I mean I don't follow Miller at all, but my recollection is that as a prospect he was a high upside scorer, good shooter, great offensive feel with questions about whether he could defend anyone. Matas feels almost like the reverse, really good defensive feel, will almost certainly be a good plus defender with seasoning/muscle, but his offense is the whole question mark.

[Jcool0]

I always like this writeup:

There are a lot of different avenues for where Buzelis’s career can go. My high-end projection would see him as a second or (more likely) third option on a good team. There’s always the chance a player could make unforeseen, rare developments. But for Buzelis to become a leading man on a great at the NBA level, a lot would have to go right. He would have to fill out his frame to an impeccable degree, become an excellent three-point shooter, and make outlier improvements to his handle. But if Buzelis can simply “turn the dial” in a big way, that’s an awesome player. It’s possible that he can develop his frame to the point that he isn’t pushed around as easily on defense, becomes a good-to-great three-point shooter, and gets his handle to a point where he can run second-side actions without issue. It still requires a lot of things to click, but I don’t think it’s unrealistic. And if Buzelis can be a second or third option at 6’10”, we’re talking about boatloads of money flowing into his bank account. That’s the type of players teams picking at the top of the draft should be eyeing in this class.

Even a more median outcome still profiles well financially for Buzelis while still bringing value to an NBA organization. If he’s a solid shooter who hits open shots, it’ll open up driving lanes for his above-the-rim finishing and slick on-the-go passing. Plus, given his size and versatility as a defender, he’d be one of the most plug-and-play guys in the league who could fit into—and start—in almost any system. This is where I believe he’s most likely to settle, and it’s a lucrative outcome. 6’10” starters, and even good bench players if Buzelis falls a little bit short of this mark, get paid. Every team wants size, shooting, and defense on the wing, and there’s a very attainable avenue for Buzelis to deliver all three. If Buzelis isn’t a consistent or reliable three-point shooter, still struggles with turnovers, and the strength doesn’t come along, things get more precarious. But based on the growth we’ve seen from Buzelis in these respects over the last year, I’m more optimistic about his future than that. And still, the “lesser” versions of Buzelis are good NBA players in important positions.

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/matas-buzelis-and-the-path-to-big

[GoBlue72391]

Hmm, it's impossible to say. I'm a big Matas guy and there's a lot to like, but he does have some glaring issues that need to be addressed and the Bulls org isn't exactly known for developing players. I doubt this org can get the most out of Matas, so I'm taking the middle ground and voting 4-Solid Starter.

I believe he has the tools to be much more, but our track record is not good and I'm not going to delude myself into getting my hopes up. Everyone thought Coby, WCJ, Pat, etc. would be a lot better than they ended up, too.

However, he does seem to have that fire, that spark, that dog in him, and that can go a long way.

[GoBlue72391]

I know there is a Matas Tracker thread, but this one has a poll and a specific question

I did this with PWill 4 years ago and asked people to predict his peak. The options were
Leonard (MVP-type), Pierce (long time All Star), Deng (longtime starter, marginal All Star), Trevor Ariza (longterm marginal starter), longterm rotation player or below. Sadly, it looks like my pick of a Deng-type outcome is long gone, and he looks to be a longterm rotation player who will have an unassuming 10 year NBA career

So, where do you see Matas ending up? First of all, he has already shown more spunk than PWill ever has. I like what I've seen so far, and I think he'll end up being a very good pick at #11 in a weak draft.

So, where do you see him when he enters his prime? I see him as a solid starter. I don't trust his offensive game to become an All Star, but I think he'll be a guy who can start on a contender, and MAYBE sneaks into an All Star game if things break just right

Do you have a link to that Pat thread by any chance? Would be interesting to read through it with the benefit of hindsight.

[MrSparkle]

Passes the eye test, fails the stat test. Huge project. I think playing him bigger minutes would develop him faster.

But I’m about done banking on single-digit PER rookies panning into something special. Show me the buckets, or I’m not considering you a strong piece in 4y. His numbers make Dalen’s look good. Low sample size, but imo it’s not looking good.

It seems like the Bulls scouting dept. is in over their heads. Their confidence in the training program was too high. We have some talent on the farm, but their numbers are the worst in the league afaic. I can’t think of one roster in the NBA with worse performing sub25 talent. Jovic/Jaquez/Ware would be our big 3.

Ok I guess the Bucks and Suns nuked their depth charts, while the Celtics are busy winning rings with 25+yos. Pat/Coby/Matas should be tank commanding this squad to a Flag or Bailey… but I’m also curious to see if that trio could average over 45 ppg with the keys.

[Muzbar]

Haha, people are already trying to write him off 34 games into his rookie season where his minutes have been sporadic.

Buzelis has shown flashes of what he can do and plays with confidence. I'm certainly not worried about him yet. Yeah his stats aren't great atm, but he needs consistent minutes to develope.

When Matas has played 20 minutes or more, his stats are: 11.3ppg, 3.8rpg (and 1bpg) on 44/39/87 splits (only 6 games)

10-19mins: 5.8ppg, 3.6rpg on 34/33/85 splits.

0-9mins: 1.4ppg, 1.2rpg on 25/21/50 splits.

Those last 2 are 13 games a piece, alot of his low minute games he's gone 0/1 or 1/3 (or something similar).

I'm going to give him a bit more time before I go writing him off.

[kodo]

The finishing at the rim is the most concerning, since you don't "learn" making layups at 19 or 20.
His 46% at the rim compared to other rookies:
Ron Holland: 76%
Saluan: 57%
Cody Williams: 56%
Da Silva: 63%

He clearly has the length & athleticism, there might be some fundamental bball IQ problem where he's taking bad shots he has little chance of making. 33% 3P is actually the best part of his scoring game right now, that could easily get up to 35% in the future which is what Coby is shooting.

As expected, he's really looking like an excellent multi-positional defensive pick primarily and not much offense.
After Phillips, Terry, Ayo, Patrick, and now Buzelis...Bulls really need to get a future piece that can put points on the board as that's still how you win games last I checked.

[meekrab]

Giannis with a jump shot

[ChiTownHero1992]

Solid starter to Marginal all-star...if everything went perfectly he'd be an all-star by year 5-6, if it doesn't go perfectly i'd say probably just a solid starter type of guy.

If it goes poorly we'll be in a Pat williams 2.0 situation where we'll still be saying at 23-24 "if he just does....his potential is off the charts...."

[Indomitable]

He needs some strength

[Jcool0]

Guess he is back in the doghouse

[bullsnewdynasty]

Probably on a 5 year $120 million contract averaging 10/5 because that's how this franchise operates.