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

[GoBlue72391]

He was, he split the 3 and 4 at FC Barcelona and he made it clear that was his preferred position.

The point anyway is their similarities as prospects.

He was 7'1" he was never a 3. In 2001 no one was playing a 7 footer anywhere but C maybe PF.

Not true. That was the era of playing two big men together. Eddy Curry was shorter than Chandler, yet Chandler was the PF. Hell, the rage surrounding Chandler heading into the draft was that he could be a jumbo SF like KG.

[Bulliever2020]

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This has been posted before but should be watched again. Buzelis is going against grown men who were largely 2nd round picks here. Regardless, one thing I would note is his hops. Some of the dunks have his head near rim level.

Versatile, crafty, bouncy, ambidextrous. Can take it to the hoop. Can post a little. Has a nice stepback already.

if this kid develops a shot, which I expect him to he has great form already, he is going to be lethal. Very exciting prospect.

[Jcool0]

He was, he split the 3 and 4 at FC Barcelona and he made it clear that was his preferred position.

The point anyway is their similarities as prospects.

He was 7'1" he was never a 3. In 2001 no one was playing a 7 footer anywhere but C maybe PF.

Not true. That was the era of playing two big men together. Eddy Curry was shorter than Chandler, yet Chandler was the PF. Hell, the rage surrounding Chandler heading into the draft was that he could be a jumbo SF like KG.

Eddy Curry was 300lbs. He was seen as the next Shaq coming out. Yes two bigs could play together at that time. Duncan played PF next to Robinson and won a title. But that wasn't my point. 7 footers were not playing SF in 2001. Now you want them being 35+% 3PT shooters. Then your 7 footer was supposed to be playing around the basket. Pau was never going to be a SF in the NBA. Fwiw Chandler was 0-11 from 3 in 1160 games & KG played 67% of his games at PF.

[hutasadorn]

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[Scottish Pippen]

Double post please delete, thank you

[Scottish Pippen]

He was 7'1" he was never a 3. In 2001 no one was playing a 7 footer anywhere but C maybe PF.

Not true. That was the era of playing two big men together. Eddy Curry was shorter than Chandler, yet Chandler was the PF. Hell, the rage surrounding Chandler heading into the draft was that he could be a jumbo SF like KG.

Eddy Curry was 300lbs. He was seen as the next Shaq coming out. Yes two bigs could play together at that time. Duncan played PF next to Robinson and won a title. But that wasn't my point. 7 footers were not playing SF in 2001. Now you want them being 35+% 3PT shooters. Then your 7 footer was supposed to be playing around the basket. Pau was never going to be a SF in the NBA. Fwiw Chandler was 0-11 from 3 in 1160 games & KG played 67% of his games at PF.

It’s not 7-footers, it’s Pau Gasol, a pretty unique player, hence the comparison with Matas’ skillset for his size.

Check out the 2002 Grizzlies top lineups: https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/longgr01.html
He played SF on the top 3 ones, Grant Long played PF and Lorenzen Wright/ Stromile Swift / Tony Massenburg played Center (all lineups 200 minutes each).

5th most used lineup he was also at SF sharing fromt court with Long and Massenburg.

So yeah, he played SF in 4/5 most frequent Grizzlies lineups.

[burlydee]

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Uggh. The rookie class is ugly. Sarr, Buzelis, Carrington best bets on board. I don't think a lot of these guys are going to play a lot.

[Jvaughn]

I still don't understand the Reed Sheppard pick. He's a poor man's Kirk Hinrich. I really think the Rockets should've traded that pick. No one they selected was going to be one of the first 7 players on the court.

[Jcool0]

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[Scottish Pippen]

I still don't understand the Reed Sheppard pick. He's a poor man's Kirk Hinrich. I really think the Rockets should've traded that pick. No one they selected was going to be one of the first 7 players on the court.

Not saying it was their best choice, I was also confused, but there were recent reports that they were trying to trade for a star. If that happened it would release 1-2 rotation spots.

[rosenthall]

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Uggh. The rookie class is ugly. Sarr, Buzelis, Carrington best bets on board. I don't think a lot of these guys are going to play a lot.

Edey and Clingan look like the best bets to me. Both of them are NBA ready and are going to teams that want them to contribute right away. Eddy will probably start right away, and with Ja back they'll probably be in the playoff hunt. I'm a little biased but the Shannon bet definitely looks like the best long-shot player to wager on. I don't know how much playing time he'll get on that Wolves team, but if Ant gets injured for a long period of time I could see him getting big minutes and contributions.

[Ballerkingn23]

This was a HR selection. And I think will go down as AK best pick in his tenure for sure.

[MrSparkle]

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I'm liking the Edey confidence.

His job is going to be very easy and straightforward in Memphis:

1. Set picks for Ja, and roll

2. Catch passes from Ja and dunk/lay it in

3. Body up the biggest player, keep his hands high by the rim and let JJJ/Smart/Bane slide over to make life a living hell for anybody trying to score in the paint... box out and catch boards

4. Easy kick outs for MEM's countless 3P volume shooters

5. He's never gonna have to worry about playmaking or getting cute with the ball- MEM is covered with ball handlers.

Plus he runs hard, so keeping up with that team's pace won't be a problem. I think he'll get ROY and make Portland feel salty. I could see many other teams where Edey could've been bad (Bulls).

[rosenthall]

I checked out most of this game out of curiosity.

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Boy does watching a full game change perceptions formed from highlight reels and scouting reports.

Don't know how indicative it is of the whole season, but thoughts:

- Ron Holland is going to be a bust. Maybe too harsh. Perhaps the Pistons find an oppressive/mean defensive identity with him and Ausar, but the Pistons are going to be one of the worst shooting teams of all-time. Ron showcased fugly offense in this game. Bad shot, horrible touch, turnover-prone dribble, insanely bad and risky passes. OK - he showcases confidence, intensity, athleticism, toughness. He has the base handles, speed and power to force his way to the basket for FTAs and layups. And he'll defend NBA wings. I think he'll get into trouble with overly aggressive defense, quick fouls. Times where he crashed the glass and just barreled into stationary offensive rebounders and got called for the foul. I see raw talent, but he looks more like a mid/late 1st to me, after watching this game. I'd need a bigger sample size and argument to choose him over a Julian Phillips. Just the 1 sample game, but I don't know if a lucky shooting night would change my perception unless he really shot his percents up. The form looks bad. Of course I see a path where he can improve a lot. He's young and really built. But I don't know why the Ignite made him their #1 option. Total clown show at numerous points in the video. 1:05:01 and 1:05:30 for two Shaqtin-a-Fools in a 30 seconds (OK I guess the slip is a slip). His opening tip pass to the stands (instead of a cutting Matas) was mind-boggling. Sometimes effective, but sloppy handles - reminded me a little of Wiggins'. Don't think that dribble cuts it in the NBA.

- The coach for the Ignite should've been fired before the team folded (really, Amir Johnson??).

- London Johnson would be lucky to get a job playing PG in China. JC it was frustrating watch him run point. Bad at EVERYTHING you'd want in an NBA PG, other than "looks the part."

- Matas was iced off ball, but seemed to be by and far the most unselfish, positionally smart and efficient player on the floor. Also actually positioned himself for rebounds, boxed out, etc. whereas a lot of the other "athletic freaks" just missed easy defensive rebounds. He'd also be the first guy subbed out... Like, after making a good dunk? Truly confused with the handling of Matas in this game. He showcased at least 2 great iso drives into traffic with slick moves, and blocked the biggest Perth big while taking contact, so there's reason to think he might not be a frail tooth pick in the pros.

- I could see why Sarr wasn't a consensus #1. He's kind of "quiet". But then you check his stat line, and it was 17/7 with 6 blocks and a steal. I think he's gonna be a good NBA player, esp. the modern type who is a position less big man. Tried to cross-over Matas on 1 possession and traveled, but I can see his handles improving a lot, along with his shot.. and honestly, Matas didn't look overpowered/sized by Sarr; a bigger prospect. Sarr is also very skinny though. Will have a bad NBA rim % I think, until he adds weight.

Overall... Lol - I literally could not believe my eyes. I don't know how the Ignite blew out Perth, other than that team was also very bad. The play style reminded me of the Boylen era where the Bulls/Dunn & friends kept turning it over, stealing the ball, bricking a layup, stealing the ball, shooting an airball, etc. I guess it was feisty basketball with deplorable offense and un-disciplined defensive/rebounding positioning. Their vet C Eric Mikas sometimes made good plays (swinging the ball) but also just had some plumber on the floor moments.

Matas might've had a good humbling experience with the Ignite, but I don't know what else to take away. Maybe the off-ball patience and physicality will help expedite his development. IMO he'll be able to handle the ball in transition, secondary play-make, shoot 3Ps and defend at the NBA level. Maybe not in November, but the ball's in his court. I also think that Billy/Bulls' concept will benefit him more than the Ignite. Unless Zach and Demar are back. He may find it a joyous ecstasy playing with Giddey (and who knows, maybe even Lonzo! ). I'm feeling even better about the pick after the game, and glad my un-vetted preference for Holland didn't happen.

This video was great, thanks.

Some thoughts:

- I agree Holland looks worse on game-tape than on highlights, but I still think he'd be decent value at 11. His development arc reminds me of Kris Dunn. If he can smooth out his rough edges he can be a long-term starter, but if not he'll probably settle as a defensive role player. I think he'll be pretty bad his first two years due to fouls, turnovers, and awful shooting percentages (like Dunn). Haven't heard anyone say it, but watching him, he looks like Lance Stephenson re-incarnated.

He definitely looks like a rough fit on that Pistons team though. Him Ausur Thompson seem like they'll be unplayable together.

- Man, we are lucky Matas went the GLI route. Almost any other destination would have been better for his development than there. Whenever he was on the court it looked like he was playing offensive and defensive schemes that the rest of his team had no idea about. His movement and awareness was painfully out of sync with everyone else on the court. I really think we got lucky, because I could easily see Matas as being held in the same tier as Sheppard if he was put in a better situation.

Looking at the lottery results, I think where we got lucky were picks 6, 8 and 10. The other 7 look reasonable to me. Optimistically, Bezels going at 11 will be like Paul Pierce going #10 in 1998. Both were mocked as top 5 picks the whole year, did nothing to disprove their projected standing, but on draft night, they just......tanked.

I don't think Matas is a lock to be a great player, but his floor looks really solid to me. My only reservation after watching him is that I think he projects to be more of a combo forward than a pure four.

[Chi town]

No Matas summer workout videos.

Weird. Normally these guys have them flooding in. Guess we see at SL

[bledredwine]

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This has been posted before but should be watched again. Buzelis is going against grown men who were largely 2nd round picks here. Regardless, one thing I would note is his hops. Some of the dunks have his head near rim level.

Versatile, crafty, bouncy, ambidextrous. Can take it to the hoop. Can post a little. Has a nice stepback already.

if this kid develops a shot, which I expect him to he has great form already, he is going to be lethal. Very exciting prospect.

I agree, but his 68% free throw clip worries me.

[Salo23]

https://youtu.be/v7_Y0mq50vw?si=6TvJnptL-DgKRuQr

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[Jcool0]

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[Salo23]

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