Bulls coach Billy Donovan knew before the game Friday against the Nets that rookie Matas Buzelis wouldn\u2019t play.<\/p>\n
The film showed Donovan all he needed to see about the personnel matchups, and it was obvious to him that it wasn\u2019t the game for him to use Buzelis.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018They were a little bit smaller, more athletic, quicker,\u2019\u2019 Donovan said of the Nets. \u2018\u2018We had been playing two forwards together [in previous games], and sometimes it was Matas and Patrick [Williams]. But I just didn\u2019t love that lineup there.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why he opted to use Talen Horton-Tucker in Buzelis\u2019 rotation spot, giving him another guard and ballhandler against a defense that has shown a willingness to apply pressure after made baskets. That isn\u2019t among Buzelis\u2019 strong suits yet.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the Bulls announced Buzelis would head to the G League\u2019s Windy City Bulls to get in some practice time.<\/p>\n
Was it a coincidence that Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in the draft in June, didn\u2019t play Friday and was sent to the G League a day later? Yes. But it was a good decision either way.<\/p>\n
This is about Buzelis getting practice reps, and with the way the schedule was last week, the Bulls couldn\u2019t accommodate that. Since Oct. 27, the Bulls have had only one practice and three shootarounds.<\/p>\n
This week doesn\u2019t play out much better, with a practice Sunday, a game Monday, a practice Tuesday, then three games in four nights with no practices scheduled. Nonetheless, the Bulls called Buzelis back up before their game Monday against the Jazz anyway.<\/p>\n
Windy City was convenient for a few practices because the team doesn\u2019t open its season until Friday but basically has been going through a preseason camp almost daily.<\/p>\n
Buzelis, 20, needed the extra work. He was getting a quick stint in the rotation in the first half in the opening handful of games, but he didn\u2019t exactly do much to stand out. His best showing came in the Bulls\u2019 victory against the Bucks, in which he scored a basket, handed out two assists and had a steal in nine minutes.<\/p>\n
He scored three points in the Bulls\u2019 loss to the Thunder a night later, but that game was all but over in the second half, with the Thunder dominating from the tipoff.<\/p>\n
But to think of this as a negative for Buzelis would be incorrect. This has been the plan for him since the start of the season, with the Bulls frequently using Windy City as a practice-reps option for their young players. Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry have spent time with the Bulls\u2019 G League affiliate in the last few seasons, and Buzelis is no different.<\/p>\n
Donovan has said several times that a major thing Buzelis needs for his development is to find an identity about where he fits. He\u2019s no different from most players in his underwhelming draft class.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as though the 2024 class has changed the game so far. The leading scorer among rookies is the Grizzlies\u2019 Jaylen Wells, who was selected in the second round.<\/p>\n
Among those drafted before Buzelis, No. 2 pick Alexandre Sarr probably has made the biggest impact with 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with the Wizards. Again, though, there\u2019s very little separation.<\/p>\n
The good news for Buzelis is that while minutes with the Bulls might be hard to find right now, it might not be that way for long. If executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has his way, the trade market will change by February and he will be able to deal a couple of players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This has been the plan for Buzelis since the start of the season, with the Bulls frequently using Windy City as a practice-reps option for their young players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n