Matas Buzelis gets it.
The former G League Ignite standout has expressed a rare sense of self from well before draft night. When standing in front of a mic, he dances the line between arrogant and confident like he is Suni Lee on the balance beam. Buzelis might call out the No. 1 overall pick in one sentence before stressing how much he still has to prove in the next. And that’s why his response when asked about the always-daunting “rookie wall” is the least surprising thing ever.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network shared the following exchange between Buzelis and a reporter on X:
Reporter: “Do you believe in the rookie wall?”
Matas Buzelis: “Umm no. I believe in learning curves. And one thing I promise you: I’m never gonna stop.”
How can you not love that?
Matas Buzelis Unwavering Confidence
Even if Buzelis says otherwise, we do have reasons to believe the rookie wall is real. Most first-year players have never experienced the grind of a true NBA season. With the Bulls now 37 games into the regular season, they have well exceeded the number of contests typically seen at the college level. They have also surpassed the 34 games Matas Buzelis participated in with the G League Ignite.
The truth is that your body needs time to adjust. You don’t know the impact an 82-game season has until you go through it and experience the proper NBA-level conditioning. With that in mind, Buzelis isn’t necessarily denying that adjustments have to be made, but he is making clear that this isn’t an excuse for underperforming.
© Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesThe commitment he has to learning and improving is admirable, and it’s precisely why the Chicago Bulls shouldn’t be scared to take off the leash. Buzelis isn’t the kind of player who will allow an off-shooting night or missed defensive assignment to drain his confidence. He also isn’t the kind of player who will allow it to snowball into more mistakes. Some rookies need protecting, but Buzelis hasn’t felt like that kind of rookie all season.
So why has it been so darn hard for Buzelis to earn a more sizable role in the rotation? He looked to be on the right track during a nine-game stretch that began at the end of November, where he averaged nearly 20.0 minutes per game with 9.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. Alas, he is now back to averaging a mere 12.0 minutes per game over his last nine games. Has he struggled to shoot efficiently over this span? Yes, he’s only 10-35 from the field. But the fact he never knows how many minutes he’ll play or when he’ll enter the game can’t be helping his cause.
The approach the Bulls have taken with Buzelis all season long has been head-scratching, especially in a year that was supposed to be about development. He is one of the most high-upside youngsters on the roster, and it’s not like the two-way flashes haven’t been there. Heck, Buzelis may even be one of the team’s best defenders thanks to his innate shot-blocking instincts. The Bulls need that as a team allowing the single-most points in the paint per game.
The Bulls also need a better sense of direction and identity. While no one is declaring Buzelis THE player to build around, he offers the kind of mentality this Bulls team should adopt. It’s time to embrace the challenge and build for the future.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( This Might Be My Favorite Matas Buzelis Quote Yet )
Also on site :
- USMNT win 5-0 over Trinidad and Tobago, Gold Cup group stage
- Galle Cricket Stadium pitch and weather report for SL vs BAN 1st Test
- F1i Driver Ratings for the 2025 Canadian GP