Fans don’t have to wait long to get their first glimpse of Matas Buzelis in a Chicago Bulls jersey.
The NBA officially announced the Summer League schedule on Friday morning, and the Bulls will begin their five-game slate on July 13 in Las Vegas. We also learned that Fighting Illini guard Marcus Domask signed a UDFA deal with the team, implying that he too will join the roster out West.
The Chicago Bulls put together a behind-the-scenes look at Matas Buzelis’ draft night. The 19-year-old was all smiles from the second he heard his name called, hugging nearly everybody in sight. Considering he has been traveling around the country since his Freshman year in high school, I have to imagine knowing he will suit up for his hometown team feels extra special. He’ll make up for a lot of missed time with family and friends during the lead-up to his rookie campaign.
Buzelis isn’t one to hide from the spotlight. The Chicago Bulls’ young forward is becoming more and more comfortable in front of the camera, especially after staring in a G-League docu-series this past season. If you want to learn more about Buzelis’ personality and work ethic, I highly recommend giving “The Break” a watch. I also spoke with the director of that series, Taylor Sharp, for my feature on Buzelis earlier this season. He was a great guy who made a great piece of content.
Buzelis’ head coach from G-League Ignite joined 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh this morning to provide some more insight on the No. 11 pick. Jason Hart harped on Buzelis’ versatility, specifically in relation to his defensive upside:
“It’s very odd to find a kid at six with guard skills,” Hart said. “What that does for me as a coach, it allows you to do more. Now, granted we didn’t win a ton of games, but our program wasn’t designed to win. It was designed to develop. So I got a chance to use him in all different factors, to grow his game. So now pretty much he’s a ball-handling forward that has potential right now to guard 1-4. Once he gets strong defensively, he’ll be able to switch 1-5 … I think he’ll be some in the NBA because he has a tremendous work ethic. Tremendous.”
Hart also insisted that Buzelis’ sub-30 percent clip from behind the arc isn’t a concern. He said many young players tend to struggle with the adjustment to the NBA’s 3-point line. According to him, additional reps and some coaching on when to take the right shot will put Buzelis on the right track. I tend to believe him. Buzelis isn’t your average long wing who can’t shoot. This was a pretty big part of his game early in his career, and the jumper undoubtedly looks pure. Do I think he’ll ever be creating many 3-point shots for himself off the dribble? Not really. But I think there is a foundation for him to become an acceptable catch-and-shoot threat.
The Chicago Bulls announced that Buzelis will wear 00 on his jersey next year. This means they will now have a 0 and 00 on the court at times. How weird.
Fans have been begging for Arturas Karnisovas to blow this roster up and prioritize long-term success. Well, those prayers sure feel like they’re about to be answered.
Zach LaVine was quick to comment on Bronny James teaming up with his father. Look, do I think that Bronny got drafted strictly because of who his father is? Yes. And I don’t think that’s really a question. But I’ll admit that it will be pretty freakin’ cool to see those two on the floor together. You very rarely see something like that in sports.
Imagine being able to play with your son! This is historic, having 2 boys my self I couldn’t image how that would feel 🫡
Cooper Flagg is already being invited to the Team USA training camp. GET HIM, BULLS!
Cooper Flagg is the only college player selected.
He is also the first college player to be picked since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart in 2013. https://t.co/7NTLHKXmrd— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) June 28, 2024
NASCAR is coming back to Chicago, and Michael Jordan’s racing team unveiled the design of their No. 45 car. The vehicle is decked out with the Chicago skyline and the iconic image of the GOAT forming the Jumpman logo.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the Chicago Bulls another reason to press the reset button on Tuesday morning. Donovan Mitchell is reportedly returning to the franchise on a new three-year deal, which is expected to keep the Cavs comfortably in the...
You can cross one of the offseason's biggest potential available names off the list. Donovan Mitchell is staying in Cleveland. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Mitchell's new contract with the Cavaliers is a three-year deal worth $150.3 million with...
The NBA has a new highest-paid player. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics and their star forward Jayson Tatum have agreed to a five-year super max contract extension worth $314 million. Tatum and the Celtics are coming...
The Chicago Bulls have made their intentions clear. Josh Giddey (21), Matas Buzelis (19), and Jalen Smith (24) have all been added to the roster over the last couple of weeks. Patrick Williams (22) also agreed to a five-year contract...
The Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson are set to part ways, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Thompson intends to sign a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. The deal will reportedly come via a sign-and-trade between the two...
Just about all season, the Bulls and DeMar DeRozan both let it be known that there was mutual interest in a reunion this offseason as the veteran forward was set to hit free agency. Apparently, that is no longer the...
We may have ourselves a new frontrunner in the DeMar DeRozan sweepstakes! When the offseason began, the Clippers and Sixers appeared to be the two most likely landing spots for the 34-year-old forward, but after Philly signed Paul George and...
The Chicago Bulls might as well have a big blinking arrow pointing them in the direction of a rebuild. The team added yet another player who is under 25 years old on Monday morning, marking their first move of free...
The Chicago Bulls have made their first move of free agency! First reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and later confirmed by NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson, the Chicago Bulls are signing big man Jalen Smith. The 24-year-old was the No....
The biggest name on the free agent market has come off the board! Veteran forward Paul George is heading from the West Coast to the East Coast and will join the Philadelphia 76ers on a four-year, $212 million contract. It...
The Oakland Athletics (30-56) enter Tuesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Angels (36-47) following their 1-2 series defeat to the Diamondbacks. The Angels, coming off of a series win against the Tigers, are listed as -113 favorites for Game 1....
Grayson Rodriguez will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles (53-31) Tuesday looking for his 10th win of the season in a matchup with the Seattle Mariners (47-39). The Orioles are -114 favorites to pick up the win in the...
Coming off of a 1-2 series loss to the Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers (52-33) are -195 favorites to pick up the win in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (41-43). The series begins at Dodger...
The MLB Pipeline crew has released a full midseason rerank of the top-100 prospect list, and despite multiple names graduating off for the Cubs, they STILL have SEVEN prospects on the new list: 17. Cade Horton, RHP30. Matt Shaw, INF35....
Presidents Cup Standings - The 2024 edition of the Presidents Cup will be held from September 26-29 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. As host of the 2007 Presidents Cup, Royal Montreal will become the second international venue to host...
Scottie Scheffler Favored to Claim the Claret Jug The 2024 Open Championship is set to take place at the historic Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, and the latest odds have world #1 Scottie Scheffler as the clear favorite...
With a lakefront project in downtown Chicago facing its share of hurdles, the folks in Arlington Heights are angling to get back into the conversation to become the next home of Chicago Bears stadium. Even though a Chicago stadium on...
Following a big two-homer game last time out, Brenton Doyle leads the Colorado Rockies (29-55) into action as +105 underdogs against the Milwaukee Brewers (50-35). First pitch from Coors Field at 8:40 PM ET on Tuesday, live on BSWI.Dallas Keuchel...
In one of the four exciting matchups on the WNBA schedule today, the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty square off at Barclays Center.If you're looking for the best bets and computer picks for today's WNBA games, we're here...
The Seattle Mariners (47-39) kick off a three-game series on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles (53-31). The contest begins at 9:40 PM ET at T-Mobile Park.The Orioles will call on Grayson Rodriguez (9-3) versus the Mariners and George Kirby (7-5).Orioles...