![\"Matas](\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTC-L-bulls-jazz-26_209987234.jpg?w=1800&resize=1800,1800\")
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The future is bright in Chicago. The Bulls finished the 2024-25 season with 39 despite losing their two leading scorers from a year prior. Chicago prioritized youth, and it paid off. While a ninth-seed and a 19-point Play-In Tournament loss is nothing to write home about, the latter half of the season still exuded confidence.<\/p>\n
The Bulls’ astounding backcourt, led by Josh Giddey and Coby White, combined to average 45.7 points, 15.1 rebounds, 13.6 assists, and 4.6 three-pointers per game following the All-Star break. However, the backcourt duo weren’t the only Bulls to break out in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
Rookie Matas Buzelis’s points per game more than doubled from before the All-Star break. Prior to the midseason festivities, Buzelis averaged 6.4 points in 14.8 minutes per game. In 27 contests after the All-Star Game, Buzelis averaged 13.0 points in 26.9 minutes per game.<\/p>\n
For the season, the 20-year-old averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. The 6-foot-10 forward converted 45.4 percent of his field goals and 36.1 percent of his triples. Buzelis was recognized for his strong efforts, and rightfully so. The 11th-overall pick finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, garnering a third-place vote. Thus, Buzelis will also likely land on the All-Rookie Second Team.<\/p>\n A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award.<\/p>\n The complete voting results \u2b07\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/VrvxR9N4tT<\/p>\n<\/div>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAPR\/status\/1917355030715187461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Among all rookies to receive a Rookie of the Year vote (besides Jared McCain, who suffered a miniscus tear only 23 games into his inaugural campaign), Buzelis started the fewest games and averaged the least amount of minutes.<\/p>\n Despite the inconsistent workload, Buzelis drew enough of the voters’ (or should I say, voter) attention to see his name on a prestigious list. The third-place vote only makes us wonder if Buzelis would have vied for first place if he had been given a consistent role from the beginning.<\/p>\n The former G-League Ignite wing played only 5.6 minutes in October, 13.0 in November, 16.6 in December, and 13.8 in January before receiving a substantial bump in playing time once he was anointed starter in February. Buzelis’ post-All-Star break numbers rival those of Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle’s and second and third-place finishers Zaccharie Risacher and Jaylen Wells.<\/p>\n Buzelis’ fantastic finish bodes well for his and Chicago’s future. With a full offseason focusing on strength training, shooting mechanics, and on-ball reps, Buzelis’s development will continue exponentially. The forward has already demonstrated impressive strides on a month-to-month basis; a full offseason is sure to yield tremendous results.<\/p>\n Chicago Bulls’ rookie Matas Buzelis finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting. Buzelis is only beginning to scratch his potential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":57415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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