It's all in a name as Bulls forward Matas Buzelis is finding out lately
BOSTON – It was Matas Buzelis’ welcome to the Boston Garden moment, where hospitality for the opposing team is not a real high priority.
Anytime he scored or committed a foul in the 14-point loss to the Celtics on Monday, the PA announcer would call him “Matisse.”
“Yeah, what was up with that?” the second-year player said with a laugh after the game.
At last check his first name was still Matas and he didn’t recently become French, so the fact that he kept hearing “Matisse” was a bit bothersome. At least until veteran Jevon Carter let him know that it was probably done on purpose. Some good old fashioned Celtic mental warfare.
The education of the Bulls forward continues, and if the last five games were a growing trend, the franchise is moving in the right direction.
Since a Dec. 29 loss to Minnesota, Buzelis has averaged 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, both attacking the rim and being more aggressive from three-point range (7.4 threes attempted per game), finally looking like the player that he was hyped up to be at the start of this season.
So what switch has flipped for him? Call it less overthinking, more doing.
“Just continue to give him confidence,” teammate Coby White said of Buzelis’ recent uptick. “And I think with most things it’s about moving on from mistakes. He wants to be perfect like everybody, right? Sometimes when he makes mistakes, he gets really down on himself because he wants to be perfect and be better for the team. We just have to help him move past those mistakes and move on to the next play. He’s starting to do that, and I think that’s been really helpful.”
An opinion that was shared by coach Billy Donovan.
Buzelis has always flashed an uncanny skillset to not only have elite ball-handling skills at 6-foot-9, but eye-popping athleticism at the rim.
The obstacle that he was working through? When to attack, when to shoot and when to get off the ball and move it elsewhere. And while it’s still a work in progress, strides have been taken.
“I think the biggest thing with him that I’ve been the most pleased with and that’s been really consistent from him is he’s not holding the ball and dancing with it,” Donovan said. “He was decisive when he had it in space (against Boston), whether it was shooting the ball or driving the ball, he was decisive, and I feel like that’s how he has to play because his skill package is very good. He can put (the ball on the floor), he’s got great length at the basket, and he shoots it well. You have to defend him from behind the line. He’s figuring that part of it out, where and when to be decisive.”
It hasn’t hurt that the Bulls have been short-handed with both White and Josh Giddey dealing with injuries the last week, but Buzelis said he’s also been watching a lot of film lately and continuing to ask as many questions as teammates will answer.
And while he’s not looking to score 26 every game like he did in Boston, Buzelis agreed that this was what his game was supposed to look like in Year 2.
“I just go out and hoop, try and be the best player I can be,” Buzelis said. “I play hard and I believe in our team. It was just a matter of time and patience, just keep grinding.
“Just the comfort level honestly. It’s only Year 2 for me, and that’s not an excuse, but still getting comfortable out there going against grown men. It feels like it’s just a matter of time, learning and learning.”
The Bulls return to Boston on Feb. 11.
Maybe by then Buzelis’ first name will be unmistakable.