Matas Buzelis has been unleashed since the departure of Zach LaVine and the commitment from the top of the organization to developing its' youngest assets. He's played 20 or more minutes in 12 of their last 13 contests, something he only did eight times through the first 43. In February, he's also been in the starting five seven times and eclipsed at least 29 minutes on four occasions. The former 11th overall pick in the 2024 draft is experiencing growing pains, especially with excessive fouls on defense and finding consistency from beyond the three-point arc. However, his scoring prowess is undeniable. With the increased usage and opportunities, he's nearly tripled his season average in points this month while improving his shooting percentage to over 50% since the turnaround. All-Star weekend was the first showcase of Chicago's rookie, and now All-NBA caliber players are taking notice of the blossoming talent.
Kevin Durant Sees The Potential
On Saturday, Buzelis had one of the most challenging tasks in his basketball career when he was asked to match up with 15-time All-Star and former NBA Champion Kevin Durant. A living legend and future Hall of Fame player, Durant gave the rookie his welcome to the league moment, dropping 27 points, ten rebounds, and five dimes in the Suns victory. However, the 20-year-old did not disappoint and countered with 15 points of his own on 3-of-7 from downtown.
"I got high expectations just like you guys do."
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) February 23, 2025
Game recognize game as KD gave some praise to Matas Buzelis 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Ykgs1IhGam
Bulls fans and Durant alike can see the translation from Buzelis to the aging superstar—6'10", score-first, lengthy forwards who can stretch the floor and attack downhill. Durant's offensive skillset is miles ahead of Buzelis, but the framework is evident.
Growing Up Quick
As most of Chicago would have preferred the franchise to do sooner, Buzelis has been full-throttle thrown to the fire to finish his rookie campaign. Since this season's outlook was an NBA Play-In Tournament berth at best, many believed the Bulls should've opted to tank, develop the youngest talents, and determine who deserves to be a long-term piece. Over the last month alone, he's been assigned to Durant, Paul George, and Draymond Green, to name a few. He's taking each new challenge with a full head of steam.
Matas Buzelis on Kevin Durant: "Great experience. Great player. It was just really fun taking on the challenge of playing against one of the best players ever. It was fun."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 23, 2025
Buzelis mentioned that one of his goals for the year was to chase the Rookie of the Year title. It's not entirely unreasonable, given that he has more playing time and usage, and his scoring has reached new potency levels. Can Matas cap another losing season for Chicago with a silver lining in the form of a ROTY trophy?
Matas Buzelis said the final 27 games are about winning and chasing Rookie of the Year.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) February 19, 2025
