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.
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