Matas Progress Tracker

[meekrab]

Billy continues to put Matas in the doghouse any game where he collects more than one foul in the first half, this has to stop it's pointless to care about foul trouble for a rookie who's simply trying to learn the NBA game.

while I agree that sitting him for foul trouble is stupid, I have to admit that I agree with Billy's making Matas earn time this season and using stretches of lackluster play to bench him. Also, without Ball or Giddey to get him the ball on cuts, he was diminished anyway last night. I am against handing starting roles and minutes to rookies in general. I think the whole getting every available developmental minute is way overrated. Most rookies already hit their wall by now and are getting diminishing returns for additional minutes played. Matas has gotten plenty of reps and minutes this season to have developed from.

My goal for the rest of the season for him is to just end the season healthy so that he can have a good off-season.

Most lottery rookies aren't coming off the bench so a busto former lottery pick can get entitlement minutes for half the season and the organization can pretend its trying to win. It's not just Donovan's fault but Williams should've been relegated to role player minutes two years ago leaving the starting 4 spot wide open for Matas in October.

[DASMACKDOWN]

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I actually think Matas has hit a rookie wall but also the wall of Billy Donovan.

You might as well say Billy is in playoff mode because he is yanking and pulling anyone who makes any mistake in the game. But mostly Matas.

Where before he was averaging over 26 mins per game in the prior 16 games, the last 2 he has averaged 16 mins per. So clearly Matas has not been able to play through mistakes.

[sco]

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I actually think Matas has hit a rookie wall but also the wall of Billy Donovan.

You might as well say Billy is in playoff mode because he is yanking and pulling anyone who makes any mistake in the game. But mostly Matas.

Where before he was averaging over 26 mins per game in the prior 16 games, the last 2 he has averaged 16 mins per. So clearly Matas has not been able to play through mistakes.

Sadly those minutes have gone to PWill. I also feel like Giddey going down has impacted him because Matas' strengths is running hard in transition and cutting in the 1/2 court, and Jones doesn't have the same vision/passing to find him.

I love Matas, but I can't recall a single game this season where he's had a great second half of a game.

I'm not sure he's hit the wall, but I just think Giddey makes him much better with his passing.

[Jcool0]

That G League year was beyond useless. Besides getting zero coaching, it seems like strength and conditioning was also ignored. Smartest thing they did was fold that team.

[2weekswithpay]

Read on Twitter

A few weeks old but I don't think anyone posted it here.

[Jcool0]

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[jump]

That G League year was beyond useless. Besides getting zero coaching, it seems like strength and conditioning was also ignored. Smartest thing they did was fold that team.

The G League year allowed him to enter the 2024 draft, where we landed him at 11. So I'm really glad he spent a year with Ignite.

[Muzbar]

That G League year was beyond useless. Besides getting zero coaching, it seems like strength and conditioning was also ignored. Smartest thing they did was fold that team.

The G League year allowed him to enter the 2024 draft, where we landed him at 11. So I'm really glad he spent a year with Ignite.

Hey! Don't you come in here with this silver lining nonsense.

[DuckIII]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

[Dan Z]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

That depends on who the Bulls would pick (if Matas wasn't available). For example, Ware has looked good at times and Jared McCain was doing well before he gone injured.

But I'm glad they got Matas.

This year they should've tanked, so they could add a top talent. Maybe someone drops or is a surprise?

Next year Im sure the goal is another play-in. Sigh. No forward thinking with the current front office.

[Jvaughn]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

Now Duck, you've a Bulls fan long enough to know this FO is going to make a move this summer that will allow us to tread water and be in NBA hell for another year.

[Chi town]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

Yep. We need AJ DP Boozer or Ament as our 1.

AK will trade our 26 1st and POR pick for a worn star to get us in the playoffs.

[Andi Obst]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

Just imagine: Utah takes Buzelis at 10, Bulls take Cody Williams at 11. Bulls would now have two wings named Williams who refuse to do anything on a basketball court.

Things might be bad but they could be so much worse. I looked up Cody Williams' stats and brrrrrother...this guy sucks. The Jazz are the worst team in the league and they're still somehow almost 10 points per 100 possessions worse when Williams is on the court.

[MrSparkle]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

Just imagine: Utah takes Buzelis at 10, Bulls take Cody Williams at 11. Bulls would now have two wings named Williams who refuse to do anything on a basketball court.

Things might be bad but they could be so much worse. I looked up Cody Williams' stats and brrrrrother...this guy sucks. The Jazz are the worst team in the league and they're still somehow almost 10 points per 100 possessions worse when Williams is on the court.

Watching his draft reels, 2 players came to mind: PWill and Tony Snell.

[jnrjr79]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

To suck badly enough for this to be useful, I think you're going to need to see Coby traded and perhaps some of the guys received from the Zach trade. I don't think simply using the pick and running it back with the existing crew is going to get you there.

[Bulliever2020]

With Giddey resigned we're definitely not going to suck next year. You just know we're going to be fighting for the play-in again . As long as AKME is around we will be stuck in this loop forever.

[WindyCityBorn]

Can you imagine how screwed we would be right now if Matas had not fallen to 11? We would be staring down another bad pick, with a bad team that is not bad enough, with zero young players you can project as having a core-player-on-contender ceiling.

We really desperately need to suck next year.

The lottery balls haven’t dropped yet. I don think we are going to suck next season. We should be better.

[WindyCityBorn]

With Giddey resigned we're definitely not going to suck next year. You just know we're going to be fighting for the play-in again . As long as AKME is around we will be stuck in this loop forever.

That says a lot about Giddey if he is difference between sucking a mediocrity. I guess you’d rather not resign a very promising 23 year and just suck instead?

[Bulliever2020]

With Giddey resigned we're definitely not going to suck next year. You just know we're going to be fighting for the play-in again . As long as AKME is around we will be stuck in this loop forever.

That says a lot about Giddey if he is difference between sucking a mediocrity. I guess you’d rather not resign a very promising 23 year and just suck instead?

If he's getting offered more than 25million AAV than yes that is exactly what I want to do. Giddey is the best player on the team but along with Coby and some of these cast offs that are playing well, there is no way the Bulls are going to be top five worst bad. But hey there are large contingent of people here that apparently love mediocrity. More power to them, that's not what I want as a fan.

[rosenthall]

Another solid game from Buz.

You can tell the mins and season are wearing him down. Hes has the conditioning and strength of a freshman playing varsity. His 3 misses are all short. No legs.

If he can add some muscle and strengthen his core to absorb contact I think he could really pop next year.

Yeah he has said as much in his interview with KC. But what I do like is that he is still pushing thru and not shying away from taking the shots.

This is why I wasn't mad at Billy taking his time ramping him up over the season. Rookies just can't come in and play at a high level for a whole season. We talk about him needing strength, but I'm not seeing that as much as him needing to improve his endurance. I do love his running hard down the court. PWill take note!

I've been surprised with his playmaking skills. He's made some great passes off drives! Keep going kid.

I thought I was the only one who thought this. Contrary to popular opinion here, I'm fine with how Matas has been used this season.

He's played over 1000 minutes this season, which is plenty for year 1. I think people underrate how much development the first year happens off the court, and what's also critically important is that young players have HEALTHY offseasons where they can fully work on their game.

Right now I don't care that Matas "gets all the minutes that he can". I want him to maintain a consistent level of play and make it to the offseason in good enough shape to start working on his game ASAP.

The quality of his offseason is much more critical for his performance next year than whatever remaining games we have.