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Matas Buzelis Rumors
KC Johnson: Billy Donovan on the eve of his Hall of Fame enshrinement Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry and Matas Buzelis are flying in for it, which Donovan said is very touching Bulls ownership/management also here as part of large organizational contingent
Before the matchup against Lithuania, Matas Buzelis' Bulls teammate, Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic, talked to BasketNews, where he revealed he was trying to convince Buzelis to play in EuroBasket, saying it would have been a great experience for him. "I was trying to convince him to play," Vucevic revealed. "I thought it would have been really good for him to get some FIBA basketball experience, to play in EuroBasket, and to practice against all the other players from Lithuania every day. It would have been great for him."
"I think it would have helped him a lot, and it would also have been valuable just to play in big games. Obviously, Lithuania is going to try to compete for a medal—that is their goal—so for him, it would have been huge. But he decided not to play this summer. Hopefully, he will play in the future," Vucevic added.
Talking about his mentality, Vucevic believes Buzelis is a bit more American than European, as he was born in America. "Yeah, he is probably a little more American," the 34-year-old noted. "But he was born and grew up there, so that is normal. He is a good guy—a very good guy." "He is still young, like a kid, so he likes to have fun and joke around. At the same time, he is pretty smart for his age and has a good understanding of what he needs to do." "Even Jonas Valanciunas calls him 'the American,' saying, 'Tell your American guy to play,'" Vucevic added.
K.C. Johnson: You ever golf with Caruso? He's pretty good. Matas Buzelis: No, I haven’t. I was supposed to golf with Zach LaVine. Interviewer: Also good. Matas Buzelis: Yeah, he’s also— He’s not better than me, though. K.C. Johnson: You hear that, Zach? Zach, you're not better than me. I saw him play. He’s all right. He’s not better than me.
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Matas Buzelis: I always believe I could be the best
Matas Buzelis: What's my ceiling? I—I don't know. I don't know. I think I could be the best. I mean, that's just how I think. I always believe—I always think—I could be the best. So I never put a limit on anything for me. That's just how I was raised. I think I could be the best player ever. That's just how I think. And if you don't think like that, I mean—it's not the sport for you.
K.C. Johnson: All right, we're here with Matas. We're in Las Vegas Summer League, but I want to start with a look back. I have not asked you what your reaction was to making All-Rookie Second Team. Matas Buzelis: Oh yeah. Honestly, to have your name on something like that, to have the award, is always an honor. It shows the countless hours of working in the gym. Even looking back at playing AAU, sacrificing my childhood life to play basketball. All the memories come flying back — me and my mom driving an hour to go work out, staying there, working out hard three, four hours. It’s honestly a blessing. Hopefully I get more awards soon. K.C. Johnson: Any part of you mad you weren’t on First Team? Matas Buzelis: I'm always mad. I always think I could do better. I wanted that Rookie of the Year, but it's all in God's plan. Second Team All-Rookie is not bad either.
Head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis and the Lithuanian Basketball Federation revealed the selections for the EuroBasket 2025 on Friday. Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings is focusing on his wife expecting a kid during the offseason and was officially ruled out. Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls is also out, as well as Kasparas Jakucionis of the Miami Heat.
Julia Poe: The Bulls have announced the full summer league roster. A couple notable items — Matas Buzelis is playing (as confirmed on draft night); Javon Freeman-Liberty is back; and Yuki Kawamura will be suiting up for Chicago.
Joe Cowley: Eversley said the idea of tanking to try and land “dat dude” is not the path that will be taken … still! They will try to produce it internally. Translation: It’s on you Matas!
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Julia Poe: Noa Essengue said the current Bulls player he's most familiar with is Matas Buzelis. Watched his trajectory from G-League Ignite to the NBA. Hasn't connected personally though with Matas (or any of his new teammates).
Ayo Dosunmu on Matas Buzelis: He was the guy I wanted Chicago to draft last year
“He was the main guy I wanted them to draft last year,” Dosunmu said of Buzelis. “His body transforming is one of the things that’s surprising me. Seeing him become more powerful, as he continues to get stronger and he continues to finish better at the rim, he’s going to understand that there are very limited people that are able to stop him. Once he gains that confidence, he can shoot, he can put it on the floor. It’s going to be over.”
“Matas is a hard worker, a tremendous worker,” Dosunmu said. “He loves the work. I have high praises for him, high expectations for him. I’m seeing him in person, him getting stronger. He’s starting to realize how strong he is and how he’s able to dominate. I know Giannis is a Hall of Famer, top 20, top 30 player [all time], but Matas has a chance to really dominate the game like that because he’s 6-10, 6-11, and as he continues to get stronger, continues to get in the weight room, he’s only going to get bigger. So I think he’s going to continue to grow gradually like that in terms of him being able to finish, rebound, him being able to just dominate the game, and that’s definitely going to show.”
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