Figuring it out: Buzelis gets first start in loss to Minnesota; Bulls extend Ball
Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 24 points against Miami, then got his first NBA start Wednesday at Minnesota.
The starting assignment began a little rough, as the Timberwolves jumped to a 27-6 advantage. But the Bulls rallied to take the lead in the third quarter before fading late in a 127-108 loss.
Buzelis produced 14 points and 5 rebounds. After going a perfect 10 of 10 from the field against Miami, he cooled off a bit, missing all 4 of his 3-point attempts and hitting 4 of 10 shots overall.
The standout trait for Buzelis this season is he does so many things well. The only weakness is he needs to add muscle to his 6-9 frame and that will take time.
Buzelis, 20, was clearly well-coached growing up. He didn't enjoy basketball the first time he tried it and became a competitive swimmer for a few years. Eventually he started commuting from West suburban Willowbrook to Northbrook for workouts with Steve Pratt and Dmitri Pershin at Full Package Athletics. He left Hinsdale Central to attend two prep schools, then played with G-League Ignite instead of going to college.
“My journey was different from a lot of other players,” Buzelis said after the Miami game. “I always chose the difficult route or myself. My mother always believed that choosing the difficult route will help you in the long term. So that's what I did with my career.”
Buzelis could finally talk about being in the Slam Dunk Contest, since it was officially announced Tuesday. He said he's been working with Zach LaVine to come up with ideas.
“I think I've got a lot of special ones I'm going to come out with,” Buzelis said. “Two of these dunks, I don't think anyone's done.”
As usual, the Bulls had trouble slowing down Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, who piled up 49 points. Edwards scored 33 in the first meeting against the Bulls in November. Coby White led the Bulls with 20, while Josh Giddey added 19.
A couple of news items dropped during the game. One is the Bulls agreed to a two-year contract extension with Lonzo Ball, worth a total of $20 million.
After waiting more than two full seasons for Ball to recover from three surgeries on his left knee, the Bulls want to see more of the healthy version. Ball didn't play Thursday since he's resting on back-to-back days this season as a precaution. Since Jan. 1, Ball has averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 assists in 24.5 minutes. He's 27, so he can fit in with the youth movement and provide some veteran guidance.
The other piece of news was Jimmy Butler finally getting traded after a long standoff with Miami. Butler is headed to Golden State in a deal that reportedly includes at least four other teams. Andrew Wiggins, P.J. Tucker and a first-round pick are heading to the Heat, while Dennis Schroeder, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters are also leaving the Warriors.
It's possible Butler will make his Golden State debut at his original NBA home, since the Bulls host the Warriors on Saturday.
The Butler trade probably makes it less likely the Warriors make a move to trade for Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney are still with Golden State and come close to matching Vucevic's salary. So maybe the door's not completely closed, but it's starting to seem likely Vucevic stays with the Bulls past the deadline.
Coach Billy Donovan has some decisions to make with the starting lineup. He's been starting Ball lately, often using four guards, including Ayo Dosunmu. He could keep Buzelis as a starter or try a bigger lineup with new arrival Zach Collins playing the four.
That option could give the Bulls a bench advantage against most opponents with Buzelis, Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith and Dosunmu on the second unit. Williams has played better in a reserve role the past couple of weeks. Donovan has his work cut out to find playing time for new guards Kevin Huerter or Tre Jones.