Is Matas Buzelis playing tonight? A look at Bulls rookie's availability ahead of Summer League clash vs Hawks
Matas Buzelis will be the cynosure of all eyes as he takes the floor against the Atlanta Hawks at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Friday. The contest, should Zaccharie Risacher play, pits Buzelis against the No. 1 pick of this year's draft class in the marquee Summer League clash. The Chicago native has been off to a good start this season and is one of the names to watch out for.
The Bulls have not listed the forward in their injury report. Sports Illustrated projects him as a starter, and at the time of writing, is a lock to make the starting five. The other expected starters are D.J. Steward, Julian Phillips, Henri Drell, and Adama Sanogo.
Given his red-hot start, it's unlikely that the Chicago Bulls will rest the forward as he goes up against Risacher.
How has Matas Buzelis fared for the Chicago Bulls in the Summer League so far?
Matas Buzelis backed up his intent to be a matchwinner for the Bulls with promising performances for Chicago. He comes into the Atlanta Hawks matchup on Friday averaging 20.3 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and 1.3 steals.
That said, the forward is still learning when it comes to decision-making, create shots, and defend. His game's strengths include his on-court awareness, ability to play off the ball, and rebounding. The on-ball creativity is impressive, but how it will fare in the NBA remains to be seen.
On his part, the rookie believes that he puts in the hard yards and weighs in on his first-game performance. He also added that he had to work on his defense by stationing himself in the right positions and improving on that front.
Buzelis was the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA draft and will be part of the rebuilding new-look Bulls, who will be without DeMar DeRozan. They have Josh Giddey and Coby White in the backcourt and with Zach LaVine's future uncertain with the franchise, it's interesting to see how they fare with Matas Buzelis getting more minutes this season.