The NBA Draft Lottery is officially a week away. Ahead of the much-anticipated date, the Chicago Bulls have announced the on-stage representative. 2024 11th-overall pick Matas Buzelis will represent the Bulls, who have a 1.7 percent chance of landing the first-overall selection and an 8.0 percent chance of securing a top-four selection.
.@KCJHoop reveals Matas Buzelis will be the Bulls' on-stage representative at next week's NBA draft lottery 👀 pic.twitter.com/JEPM0QtFPG
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) May 5, 2025
The 20-year-old will follow 2023 draftee Julian Phillips and 2022 draftee Dalen Terry as the third consecutive player to represent Chicago on-stage. Prior to each player representing the Bulls, General Manager Marc Eversley attended the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery.
In recent seasons, the Bulls have stood pat, retaining their pre-lottery draft position in each of the past three drafts. The last time Chicago moved up post-lottery occurred in 2020, when the Bulls jumped from seventh to fourth. Chicago notably drafted Patrick Williams fourth-overall pick after the spike in draft positioning.
Chicago missed an opportunity to appoint Derrick Rose as the on-stage representative
The Bulls are unlikely to see any movement in the draft lottery with such minimal odds. Yet, it's worth mentioning that the last time Chicago held 1.7 percent odds, they miraculously landed the first-overall pick. This instance, of course, happened in 2008, when the Bulls moved up the board to select Chicago native, Derrick Rose.
Coincidentally, 17 years later, Chicago announced Rose's No. 1 jersey would be retired in the 2025-26 season. Ironically, despite the coincidence and Rose's imminent jersey retirement, the franchise decided on Buzelis to represent the organization in the draft lottery.
As Chicago Sports Network's K.C. Johnson eloquently suggested, "the only other better option to me would have been Derrick Rose." Right on, K.C. While it's unknown if the Bulls even reached out to the former MVP, it just makes too much sense.
The former first-overall pick is the fifth Bull in franchise history to see his jersey raised in the rafters. Rose spent seven seasons in Chicago, winning Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and being named an All-Star thrice. Rose notably remains the youngest player to win MVP in league history.
Failing to appoint Rose as Chicago's lottery representative is a huge missed opportunity. However, appointing Buzelis is on brand with the rest of the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers tasked rookie Jared McCain with the honors, while the Portland Trail Blazers appointed sophomore Toumani Camara as its representative.
A season ago, eight players, a head coach, three front office personnel, and one former player took the NBA Draft Lottery stage. In 2023, two former players moonlighted as lottery representatives. Although uncommon, it's not unusual for a beloved former player to represent his team. Of course, Rose is the prime choice. But, all in all, Buzelis is the next-best option.
