The Chicago Bulls’ future is in doubt if you look at how things have gone for them in the offseason.
DeMar DeRozan’s departure for Sacramento effectively ended a poor run of contention for the Bulls. While some players will miss having DeRozan around, Bulls fans must steel themselves for a long season where their team may lose almost every game.
However, there’s a faint source of positivity that fans can look forward to when it comes to their rookies. While the draft class doesn’t show much promise compared to last year’s crop of rookies, these young men are hungry to prove that they belong in the league.
One of the most fascinating freshmen is Matas Buzelis. The former G League Ignite standout flies under the radar compared to the other names in the draft, but his Summer League performances are putting the entire league on notice.
Matas Buzelis shines with outstanding Summer League play for the Chicago Bulls
The Chicago native is having a superb Summer League performance, and he’s showing the teams that passed on him during the draft that they made a mistake in letting him slide to his hometown team.
Per Sports Illustrated’s Derek Parker:
In 34 minutes, Buzelis posted 28 points, five rebounds and two steals, helping the Bulls in a variety of areas despite the narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors. He shot 10-for-22 overall, sinking four of his eight triples. He also tacked on four points at the line on five attempts.
The biggest highlight of the night was the emphatic dunk he did over two Warriors players, and everyone couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he was playing against players trying to get into the league:
Matas Buzelis POSTER in #PhantomCam. 🔥📸 https://t.co/Ce7mYumljw pic.twitter.com/B3b7PchxsN
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024
The biggest highlight for Bulls fans is how well the former G League Ignite product has shown his development in his lone G League campaign. The forward averaged 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.1 blocks a game.
If Matas Buzelis performs as well as he did in the Summer League this coming season, Bulls fans are in for a treat.
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