More minutes are coming Matas Buzelis’ way, and he couldn’t look happier.
The Chicago Bulls rookie had the best first half of his young career against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. In the team’s first game since trading Zach LaVine, Buzelis received a season-high 17 minutes off the bench over the first two quarters. He proceeded to go a perfect 7-7 from the field to lead the Bulls with 15 first-half points and 3 rebounds.
This marks only the second time this season Buzelis has scored 15 points. He will be well-positioned to break his early career-high (20 points) in the second half.
Matas Buzelis is HOOPIN!
Matas Buzelis was flashing a little bit of everything during his highlight-filled first half. He started the night by out-hustling the Heat in transition and skying for a Josh Giddey lob.
I think it’s safe to say he’s ready for the dunk contest!
Giddey ↗️ Matas @CHSN__ | @BuzelisMatas pic.twitter.com/Wy2uh90rJh
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 5, 2025
Nonetheless, by far the most encouraging thing we saw from the rookie was his aggressiveness off the dribble. He went right after multiple Miami defenders and used his rare combination of ball-handling creativity and length to finish at the rim.
Here is a strong take against the similarly-sized Nikola Jovic …
Bucket getter. @CHSN__ | @BuzelisMatas pic.twitter.com/5AfvaSq8gc
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 5, 2025
We also saw him hit a couple of mean spin moves after backing down a couple of guys into the post. He first flew by Terry Rozier on the baseline before putting Jamie Jacquez in a blender. Check out both those clips below, as well as a nice slip screen from the forward.
So much potential …
Wonderful three play stretch from Matas Buzelis here, using his size to score over a smaller defender, scoring downhill as the roll man, and using his handle + creativity to score on-on-one pic.twitter.com/SpPc16idJh— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) February 5, 2025
Buzelis put an exclamation point on the first half with a buzzer-beating three because of course he did! Josh Giddey found him with a great inbound pass across the court to set up the splash.
Matas finishes off a 7-7 shooting half in style 👀@CHSN__ | @BuzelisMatas pic.twitter.com/62VaVnsXAR
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 5, 2025
How can you not be excited about this kid? Not only does he lead the team in blocks on one end, but he is starting to flash his versatility on the other. The ball-handling upside, in particular, was a major reason why Matas Buzelis felt like such an intriguing prospect. Few players of his size can create shots for themselves on a consistent basis. Add in his jaw-dropping athleticism off the ball and a three-point jumper, and we’re talking about a potential go-to scorer!
Am I getting ahead of myself after one measly first half? Absolutely! But the Bulls are in a rebuild, baby. I’ll take whatever hope I can get!