RokDeez Bulls Blog

Matas Buzelis was a perfect 10 for 10 shooting last night. He logged his career high in points (24) and minutes (31) as he helped lead the Bulls to the rare home victory over the Miami Heat. It was a great way to start the post-Zach LaVine era and provided some much needed hope for this fan base as we stare squarely down the barrel of yet another rebuild.

What I really love about Matas is that he is making me eat crow. I was critical of the Bulls drafting him, afraid he was yet another athletic wing that couldn’t stretch the floor. But he is proving me wrong and I am over the moon about it. I think one of the things I didn’t have a grasp on was Buzelis’s basketball IQ coupled with his desire to be great. He has strong basketball instincts, he doesn’t hesitate to make cuts or shoot the ball. Even more important is his ability to drive the lane and get to the hoop. He has really shown he can put the ball on the floor and get past his defender.

Buzelis has very sound defensive instincts as well. He knows how to defend off the ball, sliding over to provide help at the rim when the on-ball defender gets beat, or digging at the ball from the help position when the opponent dribbles past him. He is leading the Bulls in blocked shots on limited minutes. The rookie has been patient and tried to contribute when he has been given a chance.

With the trade of Zach LaVine, Matas should have a lot more chances to show what he can do on an NBA court.

From a fan perspective, it’s easy to root for Matas because of how active he is. You see his effort on the court, he’s constantly involved in the action. He tries to leave his mark on whatever minutes he ends up playing. And he does it very confidently. Matas is not the kind of player to defer to established veterans just because they are veterans. When he gets the ball, he’s trying to make something happen, whether that’s a dunk, a shot, or a pass to an open teammate, he finds a way to get the Bulls a look at some points.

I’m not sure if you can teach confidence and aggression, but with Buzelis you don’t have to, he has them in spades.

If this is what we have to look forward to post-LaVine, I’m here for it!

It is just one night, but let’s see if the rookie can string together a few more of these.

Until he does thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing, and GO BULLS!