Once again the Chicago Bulls find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.
At 10th place in the East, the Chicago Bulls are currently on track for the playoffs. And that has plenty to do with the ineptitude of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Many fans would like to see the Bulls embrace dropping down, and entering the NBA Draft Lottery.
If this did happen, the Bulls would stand a better chance of landing another top young talent to pair with Matas Buzelis.
Bulls EVP praises Matas Buzelis
Rookie prospect Matas Buzelis has been developing well over the course of the season. He was recently praised by superstar Kevin Durant.
And he has impressed upper management too, with the organization pleased with the player taken number 11 in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Arturas Karnisovas, EVP has been speaking about Buzelis, in a conversation with Stacey King’s YouTube channel.
Speaking about the rookie’s strengths and weaknesses, Karnisovas said: “He needs to get stronger, but he shows so much skill, in his in his bag, from shooting threes and, blocking shots and running the break and dunking the ball.
“And he’s athletic. He can put it on the floor. He can create for others, we’ve seen a lot of it. You know, with young players, it’s always about consistency.”
The Bulls executive vice president says what he likes most about Buzelis is the 20-year-old’s willingness to learn.
Karnisovas said: “He wants to be coached, wants to be coached hard. He wants to be held accountable. And it’s been, it’s been great to watch him, watch him grow and develop.”
He also praised how he takes on the tough defensive tasks, guarding the likes on Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant.
Billy Donovan has praised Matas Buzelis approach
The admiration for Matas Buzelis is felt through the Chicago Bulls organization. Coach Billy Donovan has talked up his bravery.
Earlier this season he told Chicago Tribune: “He’s not afraid of failure or messing up. He gets disappointed or down because he wants to do better, but it doesn’t paralyze him.
“I’ve seen some players who are just afraid to make mistakes and they just don’t do anything. He’s not that way.”
This was reflected in the Dunk Contest at All Star Weekend. It did not go well for Buzelis, but he was ready to take on the challenge, in a way many established superstars have shied away from.
Buzelis is making progress. He is averaging 6.9 points per game. But over the past 10 games, this figure has almost doubled, 12.8 per game.