One of the only things the Chicago Bulls front office has been praised for this offseason was the selection of Matas Buzelis with the 11th pick of the 2024 Draft.
Buzelis was mocked in the top-five for most of the pre-draft process, so many thought the Bulls got a steal when he fell into their laps.
Buzelis increased the buzz with a strong Summer League performance. He’s confident in his abilities, thinks he’s the best rookie and would bet on himself in the Rookie of the Year race.
Is he right to be confident?
Will Matas Buzelis be in the running for Rookie of the Year?
The Bulls rookie certainly has a chance. He’s a project, but comes into the league with two-way ability and highlight-reel dunks that are sure to get him some attention, especially if he shoots a decent clip from long range.
He’s not likely to be in the starting lineup right away, but that could and likely will change as the season progresses, the Bulls make a few trades and Buzelis gets a bump on the depth chart.
It also wouldn’t be shocking to see him outplay Patrick Williams early on and take his starting spot, so Buzelis should get his minutes next season which will help his chances at Rookie of the Year.
He’s still a long shot, but it wouldn’t be shocking given that this draft class didn’t have a consensus star.
But Buzelis didn’t get much love in a recent ESPN survey of NBA executives, coaches and scouts.
Matas Buzelis not favored to win Rookie of the Year
Buzelis didn’t garner a single vote when a group of NBA coaches, execs and scouts were asked which player would win the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year.
Zach Edey (8) ran away with the vote, Reed Sheppard (5) was second, big-man Alex Sarr got two votes and Stephon Castle, Tristan da Silva and Rob Dillingham got one vote apiece.
There is an easy case for Edey, who is already 22, has NBA-ready skills and will likely be starting right away. The Grizzlies will be much better this season if they can stay healthy, so Edey could be starting and putting up numbers on a team headed to the playoffs.
The same could be said of Sheppard, who might have been the most impressive rookie in Summer League. He has easily transferrable NBA skills, but the only question will be playing time on a Rockets team loaded with young talent.
Alex Sarr seems a few years away from being a few years away on offense, so would have to block a ton of shots to make up for it. He’ll get plenty of chances on a terrible Wizards team with little big-man depth, but it’s possible he’ll struggle mightily on offense early on. I’d put Buzelis over him.
Castle is a wildcard now that the Spurs have Chris Paul, but he’ll get his chances and should rack up assists throwing lobs to Wembanyama.
Tristan da Silva? Eh. He’s joining a good team and will have a bench role as a shooter, but is he going to get enough chances to get noticed? I’d bet on Buzelis 100 times over da Silva, who seems like a reach.
Dillingham could have a featured bench role on a good team, but will he get the reps? Minnesota doesn’t have a deep bench, but they are chasing a title, so Dillingham won’t get minutes unless he performs.
It was surprising that Buzelis didn’t get a single vote, especially with some of these suspect names on the list. But at least one voter is betting on his future.
The best rookie five years from now: Matas Buzelis gets some love
The same group was also asked which rookie would be the best in five years' time and Buzelis did get one vote.
Sheppard (8) was the big favorite with Castle (3), Donovan Clingan (2), Nikola Topic (2), Buzelis (1), Bub Carrington (1) and Dalton Knecht all getting votes.
The surprise here was Topic, the youngest player in the draft who isn’t likely to even play next season. It may be a year after that before he joins the NBA, so it was surprising he got two votes. The unknown is always a powerful drug in the NBA.
It’ was also surprising to see Edey not featured, which tells us most execs, coaches and scouts see him as a solid NBA rotation player with a low ceiling. Given that, it’s surprised to see Knecht get a vote, as he fits the same category.
None of this really matters, but knowing Buzelis, he’ll use this as fodder for motivation this summer as he tries to prove the Chicago Bulls got the best rookie.
