{"id":113417,"date":"2025-10-23T06:56:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T06:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=113417"},"modified":"2025-10-23T06:56:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T06:56:56","slug":"october-reality-check-coach-billy-donovan-hits-pause-on-the-hype-says-its-too-soon-to-crown-matas-buzelis-even-after-his-electric-debut-reminding-everyone-that-flashes-aren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=113417","title":{"rendered":"OCTOBER REALITY CHECK: Coach Billy Donovan hits pause on the hype \u2014 says it\u2019s too soon to crown Matas Buzelis, even after his electric debut, reminding everyone that flashes aren\u2019t the finish line\u2026ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_125,w_3902,h_2194\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/24\/01jbhy8rp9g54x3jef8e.jpg\" alt=\"Bulls Coach Billy Donovan breaks silence on why Matas Buzelis isn't getting  minutes\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When <\/span>it comes to talent and confidence <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls has both. And it is a good thing too, because Chicago <\/span>will need Buzelis to excel <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> with Coby White <\/span>out due to a calf injury <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> for the start of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Before the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bulls&#8217;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, head coach Billy Donovan <\/span>made it a point <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> to reel Buzelis in and remind him he still has work to do. When asked by Sam Smith of NBA.com about how Buzelis intends to excel with his brand of brashness, Donovan said what any coach would say.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I mean, this is probably more my personality. I always get concerned about that stuff,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Donovan said.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u201c<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> not just Matas, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> everybody. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I\u2019m<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> sitting here, listening to what the community is talking about regarding Matas. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It&#8217;s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> more about Matas keeping himself grounded. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> not arrived. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> just the truth. I love Matas. I think he has an unbelievable runway to be an outstanding player in this league. If he keeps this drive and his motivation and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">doesn\u2019t<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> think <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> arrived<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-dnt=\"true\" data-width=\"500\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Bulls head coach Billy Donovan explaining why Matas Buzelis \u201chas not arrived\u201d pic.twitter.com\/HfUZfqJO1v<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/DravesZachary\/status\/1981150360900096113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1981150360900096113%7Ctwgr%5E575a914daf4c8a33b1cc0f615a9aaa0c69d01012%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fnba%2Fchicago-bulls%2Fbulls-news-billy-donovan-matas-buzelies-arrived<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Buzelis is embracing his second season with the Bulls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Matas Buzelis has the makings of being a Bulls star<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So far, Buzelis has put up some considerable numbers that showcase his real potential. Last season, he averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Additionally, Buzelis shot 45.4% from the field, 36.1% from the three-point line, and 81.5% from the free-throw line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Altogether, he played in 80 games. During the summer, Buzelis really <\/span>blossomed while playing in the NBA Summer League <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Against the Indiana Pacers, he scored 28 points and shot 8-for-14 from the field. Recently, Buzelis expressed his goal to <\/span>win the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> honors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">All in all, he is a budding star in the making, and with the proper focus, his star will shine really soon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even though Matas Buzlies is talented, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan says he is still very much a work in progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":113422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[472,43,1990,45],"class_list":["post-113417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-billy-donovan","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-matas-buzelis","tag-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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