There’s no doubt about it—Matas Buzelis is an ascending star. Through eight games, the 21-year-old forward is averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers per game, while shooting an efficient 48.9 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from deep, and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Now in his second season, the Chicago Bulls have been noticeably better with Buzelis on the floor. After posting a solid plus-0.5 on/off differential as a rookie, he’s up to plus-6.6 this year, meaning Chicago is nearly seven points per 100 possessions better when the 6-foot-10 wing is on the court, ranking in the 63rd percentile league-wide.
In the Bulls’ most recent outing, a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Buzelis looked, at times, like the best player on the floor. He led Chicago in scoring with 20 points (his third 20-point performance of the season), grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out three assists.
Of course, Buzelis was only the best player at times. The Bucks still feature perhaps the NBA's most dominant force: Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak looked unstoppable against Chicago, pouring in 41 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and racking up nine assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and attempting 11 free throws.
One-on-One defense will define Buzelis’ future
If only the Bulls’ best wing, Buzelis, could defend the Bucks’ best, Antetokounmpo. On paper, the matchup looks even; Buzelis stands 6-foot-10, while Antetokounmpo measures 6-foot-11. But the real difference lies in their frames: Giannis outweighs Buzelis by roughly 30 pounds, if not more.
So, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan turned to 6-foot-5 Isaac Okoro to take on the Giannis assignment. At 225 pounds, Okoro at least holds his own physically, as much as any coach could hope for against a one-of-a-kind talent. And the results were about as good as you could ask: when matched up, Okoro held Antetokounmpo to just 3-of-8 shooting and even recorded a block.
When Okoro was off the floor, Donovan turned to 6-foot-7, 215-pound Patrick Williams. Williams held his own reasonably well. Giannis went 2-for-2 against him over four minutes of matchup time.
But when Antetokounmpo took over in the fourth, getting to the rim seemingly at will, it raised the question: what if someone with nearly equal length defended him? Someone like Buzelis.
However, when Buzelis did get the Antetokounmpo assignment, the results were far from ideal. The 21-year-old matched up with the Milwaukee star for just one minute and 19 seconds, during which Giannis scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting. Naturally, Antetokounmpo went straight at the slighter Buzelis whenever he had the chance.
Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley highlighted two of Buzelis’ matchups with Antetokounmpo, specifically noting two powerful dunks at critical moments. The first came with six minutes remaining in the third quarter, and the second about six minutes and 45 seconds into the fourth, giving Milwaukee a six-point lead.
Buzelis being largely ineffective against a lanky forward is disheartening. While he’s still young and growing into his frame, it’s crucial that he continues developing on the defensive end just as steadily as he has offensively.
The former G-League Ignite star is rounding out his offensive game—attacking the rim more frequently, attempting more pull-ups, and showing decisiveness with the ball in his hands. Still, to reach his sky-high ceiling, he’ll need to become more than just a weakside defender, not only for his own development, but for the sake of the Bulls as well.
Chicago doesn’t have the prototypical two-way wing every team covets. Buzelis is close, but not quite there yet. Developing his point-of-attack defense against elite forwards, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Paolo Banchero, and LeBron James, will go a long way toward establishing the 21-year-old as a true two-way star.