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

[dougthonus]

Weakside rim protector for Vuc.

Will be interesting to see if this materializes. I think there is some potential, but I think his overall defense will be awful, so I'm not sure how much value we'll get out of it.

Extremely high speed above the the rim athlete for his size with a highly polished open court and half court handle, who showed nifty passing chops in multiple scenarios, who projects to fit as a 4 with what we assume - and have been told by the FO and Billy - will be a fast paced offense run by Giddey. Unlike the Terry comp - we have no players other than Matas who fit this player profile.

His baskets will largely be opportunistic rather than being forced in to a primary half court isolation role in SL that he is not ready for.

He will of course have man-to-man defensive struggles and will struggle with his shot and possibly his conditioning as well.

Fair, I agree with probably all of that, and that's better than Terry, because he'll be a much better finisher. Terry's a solid ball handler and decent open court player too and also has good passing chops. Terry's a better on ball defender coming out of college and better team defender.

I just don't think the value of that is all that great without having a more mature offensive game. I'm not sure how we'll leverage his good ball handling without him being an actual threat to score, and his lack of shooting is going to make him hard to play in certain lineups if it doesn't improve quickly.

At any rate, I do think he'll be better than Terry as a rookie and didn't mean it as an exact one to one comparison but more of some of the shared weaknesses make it hard to capitalize on the strengths. I just think he needs to show he can score on more than dunks before you're going to get much other than highlight reels, and going up against NBA size is going to look different than summer league. I believe he'll eventually be a defensive plus, but I don't think that will happen until year 3.

I think if his shot comes around, he's got a hell of a ceiling, I just think the floor is pretty low because its hard to capitalize on a lot of his gifts without the shooting.

[Jcool0]

i don't think anyone has exceptions of him being a 18 ppg guy on 38% from 3 as a rookie. Most people are expecting a slow start from him & a small role. I think its okay for people to get excited on what he can be if he continues to develop. He has the talent to be the best player in this class. When was the last time you could say that about a Bulls player? Derrick Rose?

[TheSuzerain]

I'd ease him in a bit. Off the bench. Rotation minutes.

[Chi town]

I'd ease him in a bit. Off the bench. Rotation minutes.

Yep. Backup 4.

I think we will see Jalen Smith get all the backup C mins and some PF mins.

Pat will be the starting 4 again until Lavine gets traded and then most likely he will be moved to the 3.

I’d be thrilled if Buz could start at the 4 after the deadline next to Pat at the 3.

I like Giddey Coby Pat Buz and future defensive C with Ayo coming in off the bench. I’m hoping Billy plays bigger with Pat at the 3 instead of three guards all the time with Pat at the 4.

[Chi town]

i don't think anyone has exceptions of him being a 18 ppg guy on 38% from 3 as a rookie. Most people are expecting a slow start from him & a small role. I think its okay for people to get excited on what he can be if he continues to develop. He has the talent to be the best player in this class. When was the last time you could say that about a Bulls player? Derrick Rose?

If he shoots 38% from 3 he will be playing 30mpg.

It’s rare for rookies to shoot well from 3 due to new distance.

I’d be happy with 33%.

Buz just needs to shoot when he’s open. If he can do that he has already surpassed Pat. He can learn this from Dalen who never passes up and open shot.

[dougthonus]

i don't think anyone has exceptions of him being a 18 ppg guy on 38% from 3 as a rookie. Most people are expecting a slow start from him & a small role. I think its okay for people to get excited on what he can be if he continues to develop. He has the talent to be the best player in this class. When was the last time you could say that about a Bulls player? Derrick Rose?

Just to be clear, I am also excited about these things. I just think it will be a slow start and don't expect much from his rookie season. He shows a heck of a lot of potential, you can see everything being there long term. I just think he is also a project.

[Jcool0]

i don't think anyone has exceptions of him being a 18 ppg guy on 38% from 3 as a rookie. Most people are expecting a slow start from him & a small role. I think its okay for people to get excited on what he can be if he continues to develop. He has the talent to be the best player in this class. When was the last time you could say that about a Bulls player? Derrick Rose?

Just to be clear, I am also excited about these things. I just think it will be a slow start and don't expect much from his rookie season. He shows a heck of a lot of potential, you can see everything being there long term. I just think he is also a project.

I would be okay with a 7-8 ppg start and finishes with a month or two round 12-13 ppg. Maybe 33% from 3 by the end of the year.

[MrSparkle]

I think the fanbase will be fairly impatient with him. I’ve got a strong feeling Donovan will keep him in the doghouse. IMO you should tank and let him figure it out. But I think Craig, Phillips and Terry are gonna be ahead of him in the PF rotation, and I’m not sure he’ll be able to handle SF minutes (which will also have Zach and Ayo/Giddey spot minutes).

Unless the average Bulls injury tsunami arrives. But generally that affects the rookies too.

I guess the one big factor is Pat’s mysterious injury. He’s apparently still not really training? It’s possible PW has a complete sh*t show of a season, if not a late start coming back from rehab.

[TheJordanRule]

i don't think anyone has exceptions of him being a 18 ppg guy on 38% from 3 as a rookie. Most people are expecting a slow start from him & a small role. I think its okay for people to get excited on what he can be if he continues to develop. He has the talent to be the best player in this class. When was the last time you could say that about a Bulls player? Derrick Rose?

Just to be clear, I am also excited about these things. I just think it will be a slow start and don't expect much from his rookie season. He shows a heck of a lot of potential, you can see everything being there long term. I just think he is also a project.

I'm glad you said that, Doug. Your previous posts about Matas came across as pretty skeptical of what Matas can be, brother. Most rookies are projects. How far away do you think this kid is?

[DuckIII]

I think the fanbase will be fairly impatient with him.

You do? Interesting. I’ve found this board to be remarkably patient with young players and understanding of the complexity of development timelines and the myriad internal and external factors impacting that.

[GoBlue72391]

I'm as high as anyone on Buzelis, but I think he'll have a bit of a rough rookie year. He's frail so he's going to get bullied on defense and on the boards and his shot needs development and his offensive game is still raw.

In a year or two, I see him really starting to show what he's capable of at the NBA level, though I do predict plenty of flashes before then.

Having said that, he still needs to be playing 20+ MPG out of the gates because this season is not about winning and his development needs to be prioritized.

[MrSparkle]

I think the fanbase will be fairly impatient with him.

You do? Interesting. I’ve found this board to be remarkably patient with young players and understanding of the complexity of development timelines and the myriad internal and external factors impacting that.

Ok, correction. Me.

[madvillian]

Was Jalen Green "playable" as a rookie? Sure. He was bad, but they were going nowhere fast and a few years later he looks like he's rounding into a solid scoring guard. There's no reason not to throw him out there for 15-20 a night, we're going nowhere fast this year so you might as well blood him a bit even if he's a turnsytle on D and bricking open shots. There's not anybody else to cover those minutes of any promise long term anyways.

[dougthonus]

I'm glad you said that, Doug. Your previous posts about Matas came across as pretty skeptical of what Matas can be, brother. Most rookies are projects. How far away do you think this kid is?

I think he's got an awesome amount of tools both physical and skill wise to be a very high end player, but he's lacking a couple of foundational pieces to tie them all together, but those foundational pieces are the things that are highly likely to improve with time.

I think the first year is going to be analytically and impact wise very poor, but you're going to see constant flashes of what is coming. The second year, you're going to see good growth, and ideally, in the 3rd year, it's going to all fall into place, and you're going to have a top 100 player on your hands.

I know top 100 doesn't sound so impressive, but it effectively means a top 3 option on a team. How far up he can go on that will depend on how well those missing pieces develop. Do they become passable, average, good, or elite?

[Jcool0]

Was Jalen Green "playable" as a rookie? Sure. He was bad, but they were going nowhere fast and a few years later he looks like he's rounding into a solid scoring guard. There's no reason not to throw him out there for 15-20 a night, we're going nowhere fast this year so you might as well blood him a bit even if he's a turnsytle on D and bricking open shots. There's not anybody else to cover those minutes of any promise long term anyways.

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

[CROBulls]

Was Jalen Green "playable" as a rookie? Sure. He was bad, but they were going nowhere fast and a few years later he looks like he's rounding into a solid scoring guard. There's no reason not to throw him out there for 15-20 a night, we're going nowhere fast this year so you might as well blood him a bit even if he's a turnsytle on D and bricking open shots. There's not anybody else to cover those minutes of any promise long term anyways.

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

I mean we do have Coby White on roster who posted 56% TS% in 3rd year. And took huge jump, becoming MIP and future All-Star with 57% TS last year. Buzelis is gonna be just fine. Btw Buzelis had 58% TS in G-League last year and it was called "struggling with his shooting".

EDIT: Correcting myself. BBreference dont have updated G-league stats for whole year. Buzelis had 54% TS%. My fault.

[madvillian]

Was Jalen Green "playable" as a rookie? Sure. He was bad, but they were going nowhere fast and a few years later he looks like he's rounding into a solid scoring guard. There's no reason not to throw him out there for 15-20 a night, we're going nowhere fast this year so you might as well blood him a bit even if he's a turnsytle on D and bricking open shots. There's not anybody else to cover those minutes of any promise long term anyways.

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

I mean we do have Coby White on roster who posted 56% TS% in 3rd year. And took huge jump, becoming MIP and future All-Star with 57% TS last year. Buzelis is gonna be just fine. Btw Buzelis had 58% TS in G-League last year and it was called "struggling with his shooting".

I think Doug is a bit too harsh on the kid and any comps to Dalen are not illuminating. Matas has offensive talent Terry will never, ever have. And by being a bigger, better athlete immediately has a higher floor as a rookie on the defensive end. Yea he's going to get blown by once and awhile but he's also going to alter some shots and get into some deflections.

[MrSparkle]

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

I mean we do have Coby White on roster who posted 56% TS% in 3rd year. And took huge jump, becoming MIP and future All-Star with 57% TS last year. Buzelis is gonna be just fine. Btw Buzelis had 58% TS in G-League last year and it was called "struggling with his shooting".

I think Doug is a bit too harsh on the kid and any comps to Dalen are not illuminating. Matas has offensive talent Terry will never, ever have. And by being a bigger, better athlete immediately has a higher floor as a rookie on the defensive end. Yea he's going to get blown by once and awhile but he's also going to alter some shots and get into some deflections.

I agree. I don't see how rookie Terry compares to any FRP the Bulls have drafted in the last 8 years. He's one of the worst shooters the Bulls have ever drafted (for a perimeter player). I mean, for reference, Noah and Wendell shot a marginally better FT%. I think the Bulls banked on him improving as much as he did from his rookie-to-sophmore college career, but it hasn't happened. Maybe this year he shows growth. But despite shooting percentages, the skills aren't comparable. Matas has already hit more impressive shots in his 4 SL games than Terry has in his 2 years here.

In normal situations, Pat wouldn't have played as much, but it was a COVID shortened season with multiple guys having injuries (and many missing players from opposing teams), and a coaching staff and FO keen on developing him. Could be wrong, but Matas seems like a more prepared rookie than Pat. His on and off-ball IQ stands out to me. Does the old Deng thing: shoots if he's open, passes if he's not. There's not a whole lot of BS and indecisiveness in his game, other than when he forced some fast breaks as the ball handler (which was no doubt a BD3 "push the pace"/development angle that won't fly in NBA games). I'm not sure he'll be missing as many defensive rebounds and idly standing outside of plays as Pat has for the past few years.

But again, he's in a really dense forward rotation now. So I'm just uncertain he'll have enough minutes to make mistakes and get shots up. Also, I just don't think Matas will be playing much SF. He's going to be guarding PFs as far as I can tell. For once we have a guy who is long enough to atleast make the longer players of the NBA alter their shots. Why would we show off his turnstile feet and put him on guards? Let Pat, Ayo and Coby deal with that switch.

[Jcool0]

Was Jalen Green "playable" as a rookie? Sure. He was bad, but they were going nowhere fast and a few years later he looks like he's rounding into a solid scoring guard. There's no reason not to throw him out there for 15-20 a night, we're going nowhere fast this year so you might as well blood him a bit even if he's a turnsytle on D and bricking open shots. There's not anybody else to cover those minutes of any promise long term anyways.

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

I mean we do have Coby White on roster who posted 56% TS% in 3rd year. And took huge jump, becoming MIP and future All-Star with 57% TS last year. Buzelis is gonna be just fine. Btw Buzelis had 58% TS in G-League last year and it was called "struggling with his shooting".

EDIT: Correcting myself. BBreference dont have updated G-league stats for whole year. Buzelis had 54% TS%. My fault.

Last 13 G-League games: 17 ppg on 43% shooting. 30% from 3. 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He was showing improvement.

[CROBulls]

Probably don't want the #2 pick in the draft to be a solid scoring guard going into year 4. Also not sure i would be happy with Matas having a 54% TS% in year 3. Wasn't there talk about moving Green to the bench as well?

I mean we do have Coby White on roster who posted 56% TS% in 3rd year. And took huge jump, becoming MIP and future All-Star with 57% TS last year. Buzelis is gonna be just fine. Btw Buzelis had 58% TS in G-League last year and it was called "struggling with his shooting".

EDIT: Correcting myself. BBreference dont have updated G-league stats for whole year. Buzelis had 54% TS%. My fault.

Last 13 G-League games: 17 ppg on 43% shooting. 30% from 3. 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He was showing improvement.

Oh yeah. Matas was better later of the year. I think he had ankle injury in first part of season.