The Chicago Bulls are taking a long-term view of their future. The selection of Matas Buzelis with the 11th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft is one that appears to look at the player's future development with the team rather than an immediate contribution in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
.@KCJHoop on Bulls drafting Matas Buzelis: "Philosophically, this is kind of what the Bulls thought was going to happen. Because it was an unpredictable draft, somebody they really liked would be at 11 ... They didn't expect it to be this guy." Listen: shorturl.at/wnjB2
Buzelis, who grew up in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, Illinois, is 19 years old along with 6-9 and rail-thin. He has a very high skill level, but he needs to put on weight and strength before he will be a consistently productive player for the Bulls.
Many within the scouting community gave him high grades for his skill level, and in addition to making plays on his own, he can be a playmaker for his teammates. His overall shooting ability is an area of concern, but he has had hot streaks when he was a high school player. However, when he played in the G League against better opponents, his shooting lacked consistency.
He has some issues on the defensive end, but he has the kind of know-how and work ethic to get much better in that area.
Chicago vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas acquired 21-year-old point guard Josh Giddey a week before the draft. That move and selecting Buzelis is changing the Bulls roster quite a bit, but it doesn't seem to be making the team more competitive in the Eastern Conference.
‘‘When I last saw you guys [in April], I told you that we needed to make changes, and we have started that process,’’ Karnisovas said. ‘‘While I cannot speak to all of the potential changes, it’s hard to predict what we will look like in a week or two.’’
Bulls need Buzelis to get stronger and improve his shot
Buzelis checks in at 6-9 and 210 pounds, and that means the youngster will have to put on quite a bit of wright and strength. That means changing his diet and also spending time in the weight room.
‘‘I need to work on getting stronger,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘That’s going to come eventually. Shooting, working on shooting a little bit more. What translates? Blocking shots, pushing the ball in transition, getting right into our offense, being a good teammate.’’
The other aspect that needs development is his shooting touch. The Bulls have plenty of confidence that Buzelis will make advances in both areas because he has an outstanding work ethic that was on display throughout his run in the G League.
He averaged 14.3 points and 2.1 blocks for the G League Ignite, but he also shot only 26% from three-point range.
Since the Bulls traded Alex Caruso — who shot 40 percent from beyond the arc — the Bulls would like to see this become an area of strength for Buzelis in the future.
Buzelis has dreamed of playing for the Bulls
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs meant that Buzelis saw the Bulls regularly during his formative years and this was the team that he wanted to be drafted by all along.
Many of the NBA's insiders had him going prior to the No. 11 picks because of his wide range of skills. Buzelis was quite thrilled to get a chance to play for his hometown team.
‘‘Super-thankful, very grateful,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘Me being born and raised there, it just makes it so much better. It means everything to me. I can’t even explain it.’’
Buzelis solid fit for Bulls
The Bulls did not select a player who is going to have an immediate impact, but they did select a player with a significant skill set. It's not clear how much this is going to help the team in the immediate future because it seems clear that Karnisovas has more moves to make.
That does not mean the selection of Buzelis was a mistake. It shows foresight by the team's personnel boss. If the team slips from its position in the play-in portion of the season, it would not be a surprise.
That's not on Buzelis, but it may be on Karnisovas and he could have to answer for it. Nevertheless, the selection itself earns the Bulls a solid grade of B.
