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NEW YORK \u2014 Coach Billy Donovan isn\u2019t going to let rookie forward Matas Buzelis settle.<\/p>\n
If Buzelis does that or feels like he has gotten enough out of his first season, complacency becomes the norm.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not an option for the Bulls or Buzelis.<\/p>\n
If this rebuild is to start gaining a foothold, Buzelis has to be the first major foundation piece. That message has been conveyed to him with tough love early in the season, with a longer leash now and even with a story when Donovan feels the moment is right.<\/p>\n
It was right just recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because I had this conversation with [former Bull and Gator] Joakim [Noah], and I asked him where he got that motor,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018I got that from my dad [former tennis star Yannick Noah].\u2019 I said, \u2018What did he tell you?\u2019 He said, \u2018It\u2019s a little bit different when you line up in the U.S. Open, and you\u2019re looking across the net, and it\u2019s Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg, and you have to sit there and say, I\u2019m not more talented than that guy; what\u2019s going to be the separation?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201c[Buzelis] has got to get that. He\u2019s gotten better at it, but that\u2019s what he\u2019s got to get. I\u2019m trying to continue to put that on him, and to his credit, he has responded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before his five-point showing Thursday in the Bulls\u2019 overtime loss to the Knicks, Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in the draft, had eight consecutive double-digit scoring games. He\u2019s averaging 13.1 points since Jan. 29 and is third in the rookie class in scoring during that span.<\/p>\n
But it hasn\u2019t only been his scoring.<\/p>\n
Buzelis is playing better defense and rebounding with more aggressiveness.<\/p>\n
There are only 26 regular-season games left, but they all seem to matter to Buzelis, no matter where the Bulls reside in the standings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe games are very important for me,\u201d Buzelis said. \u201cI\u2019m taking them very seriously, and the team is taking them very seriously. I\u2019m going to try to learn and grow and better myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if that means grabbing some hardware along the way, Buzelis is all for that, as well.<\/p>\n
Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher are the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year, but Buzelis has been closing the gap in a race with no real separation. That hasn\u2019t been lost on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost definitely I would like to win that award, but I also want to win as many games as possible,\u201d Buzelis said. \u201cIf you win the games, then you will be in that conversation, but I can make a run at it. I believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s another aspect of Buzelis\u2019 makeup that Donovan appreciates. He\u2019s not afraid to chase individual accolades if it\u2019s done within the context of the team getting better and winning first. And if Buzelis does forget that or color outside the lines, he can be spoken to directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been very pleased by the way he\u2019s responded to things,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cHe wants it very direct. I like that. And I do think he wants to be a good player, but I think it\u2019s also been a very eye-opening experience for him through these 50-plus games with him figuring out, \u2018I\u2019m not the most athletic, talented guy out there on the court anymore. I\u2019ve got to find something else.\u2019\u2009\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
That search continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scoring is always going to be there, but I want to get better defensively,\u201d Buzelis said. \u201cI want to be a two-way player. I want to be a player that is a leader and impacts the game when he\u2019s out there. That\u2019s what Coach has been preaching \u2014 just play extremely hard.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Buzelis feels like the ROY race is still there for the taking, but he also knows that winning games will bring more of a spotlight on him. In case he forgets that, coach Billy Donovan will give him daily reminders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n