Matas Progress Tracker

[League Circles]

All joking aside... Based on his level of play right now and the positive he brings as a player. He is the perfect guy as a #3/4 on this team (you wouldn't want him having any bigger of a role). Doesn't need the ball, in theory is a good 3PT shooter, plays mostly mistake free basketball and wont kill you on D. His problem is will be 28 and will need a new contract in a year. Which is why getting his replacement in Kon Knueppel could be smart.

Huerter is a well rounded player without any significant weaknesses (and without any big strengths), but IMO we need an outstanding defender at the 2 if we're going to proceed with limited-defenders Coby and Giddey at the 1 and 3 spots. Huerter will never be that. Ayo probably won't either. A healthy Ball or an improved Terry have a chance, but we'll probably have to get a guy elsewhere for that role IMO. I like Huerter as part of the rotation next year but probably nothing beyond that.

IMO, Ayo is certainly a solid enough defender at the 2 for these purposes. I just don't know that he'll offer you enough offense to justify a starting role.

I'm also not sure I see Coby as necessarily the 1 moving forward. He may be the 2 next to a more traditional PG (though I like the idea of having Giddey be the actual PG/distributor and having more size next to Coby if possible).

I see Giddey as the undisputed point-3 if we resign him going forward. Coby IMO is better at defending the 1 than the 2, but if we get the right 2 (VJ Edgecomb would be ideal), that guy could guard the best opposing player at the 1-3 spots with Coby and Giddey guarding the quicker and bigger remaining two guys respectively. I think any 2 that is not a high level defender makes it a certainty that we can't contend with Coby and Giddey on the perimeter.

[sco]

Huerter is a well rounded player without any significant weaknesses (and without any big strengths), but IMO we need an outstanding defender at the 2 if we're going to proceed with limited-defenders Coby and Giddey at the 1 and 3 spots. Huerter will never be that. Ayo probably won't either. A healthy Ball or an improved Terry have a chance, but we'll probably have to get a guy elsewhere for that role IMO. I like Huerter as part of the rotation next year but probably nothing beyond that.

IMO, Ayo is certainly a solid enough defender at the 2 for these purposes. I just don't know that he'll offer you enough offense to justify a starting role.

I'm also not sure I see Coby as necessarily the 1 moving forward. He may be the 2 next to a more traditional PG (though I like the idea of having Giddey be the actual PG/distributor and having more size next to Coby if possible).

I see Giddey as the undisputed point-3 if we resign him going forward. Coby IMO is better at defending the 1 than the 2, but if we get the right 2 (VJ Edgecomb would be ideal), that guy could guard the best opposing player at the 1-3 spots with Coby and Giddey guarding the quicker and bigger remaining two guys respectively. I think any 2 that is not a high level defender makes it a certainty that we can't contend with Coby and Giddey on the perimeter.

I like Huerter, but we have Ball for that exact role. Sure he's not durable, so that's why we keep (only) one of Ayo or Jones to handle his lack of durability. But Ball, Coby, Giddey, Matas, Collins/Smith/or a better defender is a good foundational starting line-up. How far it goes depends on development, health and who we can get at C.

[Jcool0]

IMO, Ayo is certainly a solid enough defender at the 2 for these purposes. I just don't know that he'll offer you enough offense to justify a starting role.

I'm also not sure I see Coby as necessarily the 1 moving forward. He may be the 2 next to a more traditional PG (though I like the idea of having Giddey be the actual PG/distributor and having more size next to Coby if possible).

I see Giddey as the undisputed point-3 if we resign him going forward. Coby IMO is better at defending the 1 than the 2, but if we get the right 2 (VJ Edgecomb would be ideal), that guy could guard the best opposing player at the 1-3 spots with Coby and Giddey guarding the quicker and bigger remaining two guys respectively. I think any 2 that is not a high level defender makes it a certainty that we can't contend with Coby and Giddey on the perimeter.

I like Huerter, but we have Ball for that exact role. Sure he's not durable, so that's why we keep (only) one of Ayo or Jones to handle his lack of durability. But Ball, Coby, Giddey, Matas, Collins/Smith/or a better defender is a good foundational starting line-up. How far it goes depends on development, health and who we can get at C.

FWIW with Huerter the last 17 games he has played in, the Bulls are 12-5. He is averaging 14.9 ppg on 46/37/80 (32MPG). With 3.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds & 1.3 steals. He has a +/- of +9.5. Not a perfect comparison, over that same stretch the Bulls are 12-8 with Coby & has a +2.8. The Bulls are 9-6 with Giddey & has a +6.3. In keeping with this tread, Bulls are 12-8 with Matas and he has a -0.5.

[sco]

I see Giddey as the undisputed point-3 if we resign him going forward. Coby IMO is better at defending the 1 than the 2, but if we get the right 2 (VJ Edgecomb would be ideal), that guy could guard the best opposing player at the 1-3 spots with Coby and Giddey guarding the quicker and bigger remaining two guys respectively. I think any 2 that is not a high level defender makes it a certainty that we can't contend with Coby and Giddey on the perimeter.

I like Huerter, but we have Ball for that exact role. Sure he's not durable, so that's why we keep (only) one of Ayo or Jones to handle his lack of durability. But Ball, Coby, Giddey, Matas, Collins/Smith/or a better defender is a good foundational starting line-up. How far it goes depends on development, health and who we can get at C.

FWIW with Huerter the last 17 games he has played in, the Bulls are 12-5. He is averaging 14.9 ppg on 46/37/80 (32MPG). With 3.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds & 1.3 steals. He has a +/- of +9.5. Not a perfect comparison, over that same stretch the Bulls are 12-8 with Coby & has a +2.8. The Bulls are 9-6 with Giddey & has a +6.3. In keeping with this tread, Bulls are 12-8 with Matas and he has a -0.5.

I would love to keep Huerter. Don't get me wrong.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

He's basically further advanced at everything than any of us could have dreamt.

[NecessaryEvil]

He's basically further advanced at everything than any of us could have dreamt.

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

[Chi town]

His ceiling and floor just keep rising.

Would love to see how he’d play in competitive playoff games.

[nomorezorro]

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

to be fair, i think if you did a cut up of his misses/turnovers on drives it would be like twice as long as this, but it is still very very encouraging that he's flashing all this his rookie season. i think it's way ahead of where most people expected him to be to start the year, or honestly even a couple of months into the season

i'm hopeful that this season has been an opportunity for matas to kind of feel out all the ways he can effectively use his length/athleticism to get to the rim and score against nba defenders, and the next couple of offseasons he can really focus on tightening up those moves so he's turning it over less often and finishing with more consistency. in particular, that one high dribble move he keeps on using seems like something he could have locked in as soon as next season; it's already like 75% of the way there

(it's also nice that his 3pt shooting seems to have settled into a place where it won't need to be a primary focus of his developmental work for him to be useful from behind the arc, so he'll have the time to work on other parts of his game)

[NecessaryEvil]

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

to be fair, i think if you did a cut up of his misses/turnovers on drives it would be like twice as long as this, but it is still very very encouraging that he's flashing all this his rookie season. i think it's way ahead of where most people expected him to be to start the year, or honestly even a couple of months into the season

i'm hopeful that this season has been an opportunity for matas to kind of feel out all the ways he can effectively use his length/athleticism to get to the rim and score against nba defenders, and the next couple of offseasons he can really focus on tightening up those moves so he's turning it over less often and finishing with more consistency. in particular, that one high dribble move he keeps on using seems like something he could have locked in as soon as next season; it's already like 75% of the way there

(it's also nice that his 3pt shooting seems to have settled into a place where it won't need to be a primary focus of his developmental work for him to be useful from behind the arc, so he'll have the time to work on other parts of his game)

I mean, it's cool. He's still a 20 yr old rookie. The fact that he went head up with AD & Chet back to back games (i think) and technically outplayed both is something to think about.

[GoBlue72391]

In 5 out of the 6 months Matas has played, he's shot 35% or higher from 3, including 44% this month.

[GuardianEnzo]

He's basically further advanced at everything than any of us could have dreamt.

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

[DuckIII]

He's basically further advanced at everything than any of us could have dreamt.

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

[GoBlue72391]

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

I like Castle a lot, to the point where I've got a steadily growing collection of his rookie cards, but I'd take Matas over him easily for the unicorn factor. Castle's archetype is a lot more common than Matas's.

[DuckIII]

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

I like Castle a lot, to the point where I've got a steadily growing collection of his rookie cards, but I'd take Matas over him easily for the unicorn factor. Castle's archetype is a lot more common than Matas's.

Castle’s type is more general I agree, but I believe and his play in March and April is showing that he is the next Jimmy Butler. Except I project him as being even better. I projected him as the only true franchise player prospect in the draft.

I was wrong that he’s the only one, but I am that high on him. In isolation.

Buzelis was a perfect pick for Chicago.

[gf2020hotmail]

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent.

Castle is one of the most destructive players to his own team this season. I think it's not hard to take someone else who doesn't have a 52% true shooting percentage as a guard.

[meekrab]

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

I really want to see a lot of these three plus Lonzo ... whenever Ball is healthy again...

[GuardianEnzo]

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

Probably Castle-Sarr-Boozy if they re-drafted today.

[RSP83]

He's basically further advanced at everything than any of us could have dreamt.

Read on Twitter

We’re technically developing a #1 pick level prospect. Might be one of the most epic things to happen in Bulls history, him falling to #11 for us. This guy has an extremely deep bag at the age of 20.

... combined with his confidence level and mental toughness at this age. This is probably the most underrated element to player development success rate. He has a good balance between cockiness to not back down from competition and humility to understand his shortcoming and the need to correct himself.

I have no doubt now that he's probably going to end up the best player of this draft. Matas was already considered the #1 prospect in his class based on his physical attributes and skill set alone, and we are witnessing that those fully translates. So it's just all mental, luck, experience from here on out. It sounds cliché but 'sky is the limit' really applies here.

[RSP83]

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

Probably Castle-Sarr-Boozy if they re-drafted today.

Castle is going to be a very good NBA player but I still don't see him having the same ceiling as Matas

Sarr is probably closer to Matas in terms of ceiling, but I really don't see it in Sarr. He looks like he's going to be a poor man's Evan Mobley.

[Jstock12]

I don't know if he'd go #1 but he certainly looks like a steal at 11. Probably should have gone in the 3-6 range just like everyone projected.

Pretty hard to take anyone over Castle in a redraft (bragging - I had him #1 in this draft class), but Buzelis is a top pick level talent. And more importantly for us, and which Castle would not be, he’s almost what you would build in a lab to fit with Giddey and Coby.

Probably Castle-Sarr-Boozy if they re-drafted today.

Well, going strictly by on/off numbers, Clingan is actually the highest impact player.

Clingan +4.8 per 100 possessions (already close to what some fringe All-Stars have)
McCain +3.5
Ware +2.6
Edey +1.7
Buzelis -1.5
Castle -1.8
Wells -1.9
Sarr -3.5
Risacher -4.6
Carrington -8.0
Missi -8.3

Of course, on/off numbers aren't necessarily be-all and end-all. It requires some context. If the guy you're subbing is an All-Star, then your on-off will suffer, but could get inflated if your subbing in for some role player. Feels quite good for Clingan though, the fact that he's outperforming DeAndre Ayton by so much makes me think he would have to be in consideration for that #1 in a re-draft. Clingan will very likely be a DPOY candidate for years to come.