Matas Buzelis ☆ Follow

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Starts 3 of 3 games · 4th on CHI in minutes · Core role

Bars: minutes in his last 3 games · numbers: points

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Every situation, with four seasons of history →

• Podcast Numbers on the Board host · Report · Oct 24 around the league

  Bulls: Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey didn't play down the stretch; Tre Jones ran the offense in the comeback win.

  “20 Things We Have Learned So Far | Numbers On The Board” at 1:56:37 · listen ↗

• Bluesky @juliapoe.bsky.social · Report · Oct 23

  Think it's notable that Matas Buzelis is getting a short leash once again to start this season. Pulled after roughly four minutes on the court, didn't get put back in during the first quarter. Bad foul and turnover in that span, plus some very questionable ball-handling in the paint.

  original post ↗

• Podcast Numbers on the Board · 2 points · Oct 22
  • Tiago Splitter (quoted): Splitter says the Bulls have a lot of length and want to use it to make the court look smaller. He names Noa Essengue, Caleb and Matas Buzelis as long, mobile players who cover a lot of ground. at 32:51
  • A host says that in preseason, having Jalen Smith ('Sticks') on the floor opens the game up for Matas Buzelis and 'C-Dub' to drive. The host also says Nic Claxton is not a shooter. at 39:21

  “LIVE From Chicago! | Numbers On The Board” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 6 points · Oct 22
  • Pat the Designer: Splitter left Wilson and Matas Buzelis in during the fourth quarter of a blowout and played Wilson all the way through instead of sitting him. at 4:15
  • Pat the Designer: Host's reading of the decision, not a quote from Splitter: he believes Splitter wanted the young players to 'feel the pain' of a blowout as preparation for their development. at 4:29
  • Pat the Designer: Matas Buzelis: 17 points on 2-of-8 shooting, 0-of-4 from three, 13-of-16 FT, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 2 blocks. at 12:13
  • Pat the Designer: Host credits Matas Buzelis with changing his approach when his shot wasn't falling, attacking downhill to get to the line. He wants Wilson to learn the same lesson. at 12:29
  • Pat the Designer: Host saw Matas Buzelis being much more vocal in the game, and thought Josh Giddey was too, urging teammates to adjust. at 14:03
  • Pat the Designer: Host opinion: Wilson and Matas Buzelis looked like two players doing a lot of thinking about new roles, and the whole team looked like it was overthinking. at 2:58

  “Chicago Bulls vs Raptors Postgame: What We Learned From Chicago’s Season Opener” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 2 points · Oct 21
  • Host said Matas Buzelis was well below expectation at the free-throw line. at 3:12
  • Host holds Giddey and Matas Buzelis to a higher standard than the younger players, who get a pass early in the season. at 4:22

  “BULLS POSTCAST: Caleb Wilson shows a few flashes but the Chicago Bulls STRUGGLE in game 1 loss” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 4 points · Oct 21
  • The Bulls picked up the third- and fourth-year options for Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue the day before publication. at 1:05
  • Matas Buzelis, the pickup was his fourth-year option, which everyone had expected. at 2:07
  • Tiago Splitter (reported): Relayed: Tiago wants Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis to drive the offense. at 4:01
  • Another estimate: Matas Buzelis probably lands between $22M and $28M a year, unless an All-NBA or Most Improved selection pushes it higher. at 12:30

  “Bulls LOCK IN Matas & Noa! Norman Powell STAR Trade?! East Sends Chicago A WARNING” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 3 points · Oct 19
  • Haize: In his opinion, the host said prying Jalen Smith from Chicago would take a lot more than Knecht. He cited Smith's play alongside Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Norman Powell. at 14:07
  • The host said the Bulls are openly building around Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson as their stars. He said Splitter is telling them to be more aggressive. This is the host's paraphrase, not a direct quote. at 20:34
  • The host expects a lot of lineup and personnel changes this season as the team works out who fits next to Matas Buzelis. at 21:04

  “Bulls Linked To Dalton Knecht! Is P-Will OUT Of The Rotation + Did Tiago Find The Formula?” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 2 points · Oct 16
  • Pat the Designer: Pat says Leonard Miller can come in when Caleb Wilson or Matas Buzelis sits without the Bulls changing their scheme or aggressive style. He says Miller's floor-stretching is still a work in progress. at 25:36
  • Haize: Hayes describes the forward rotation as Caleb and Matas Buzelis, with Leonard Miller backing up both. He says that would be enough to justify the trade. at 26:46

  “Giddey Called OVERRATED + Jalen Smith’s Price Is Rising” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 4 points · Oct 15
  • A host said Matas Buzelis was decisive: if a defender did not close out, he immediately shot or attacked the rim. at 14:49
  • A host said Matas Buzelis is attempting about 7.5 threes per game in preseason, despite having said he did not want to shoot as many threes this year. at 15:24
  • A host expected Matas Buzelis to be a more advanced passer by now and said he has not grown as a ball handler who sets up others. The host noted he has not had many point-forward reps. at 19:52
  • A host thinks the preseason focus for Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson is preparing to be the scoring focal points of the offense. at 20:42

  “Tiago’s Bulls Look FUN… But 21 Turnovers Could Ruin Everything” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 3 points · Oct 14
  • Caleb Wilson is being used to guard on the perimeter. Caleb and Matas Buzelis are described as supposedly good shot blockers. at 4:54
  • The hosts reject fan complaints that the Bulls lack a third point guard. They say the team needs a third ball handler, and Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Norman Powell can bring the ball up. at 11:37
  • Preseason shots per game: Caleb Wilson about 14, Matas Buzelis just under 11, and Leonard Miller about half a shot behind Buzelis ('I think'). Miller took 14 or 15 shots in the last game, which may inflate his number. at 27:29

  “Nic Claxton Might MISS Opening Night?! Bulls Frontcourt In Trouble” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Bulls · 3 points · Oct 9
  • Haize: Hayes expects Matas Buzelis to probably be matched up with Memphis's Cedric Coward quite a bit. at 8:07
  • Pat the Designer: Pat says Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson will be the main options, but the Bulls will need Powell to win games early until the others figure it out. Pat says Caleb Wilson must take a major step before Powell moves back into a lesser role. at 26:06
  • Answering a listener's All-Star question, a host picks Josh Giddey or Matas Buzelis over Cedric Coward. He says Giddey may lead the league in assists and Buzelis will be a higher scoring priority. The other host leans toward Coward. at 28:32

  “CALEB VS. BOOZER Round 2! Leonard Miller DEMANDS Minutes + Is Norman Powell Bulls’ #1 Scorer? 👀🐂” · listen ↗

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