LAS VEGAS – In making his 2025 Summer League debut on Friday, it was obvious that Matas Buzelis added some muscle and physicality to his frame going into NBA season Year 2.
What couldn’t be seen on the court? The added confidence in becoming a leader.
That’s the other jump the Bulls would like to see from the forward, and so far so good.
It was Buzelis that was the vocal leader on the bench during timeouts and when it came to yelling from the sidelines to try and inspire teammates, and it’s been Buzelis that’s tried to prepare the Summer Leaguers for what obstacles await them, whether they are fortunate to earn a spot or have to deal with life in the G-League.
Buzelis played 26 games in the G-League before the Bulls selected him – doing so with G League Ignite – and then spent some practice time and a game with the Windy City Bulls last season.
So when rookie Noa Essengue had a dismal performance in his Summer League debut against Toronto, guess who was there to give him a pep talk afterwards?
“You’ve got to have a short memory,” Buzelis insisted of their discussion. “He’s a great defender. He’s got great defensive instincts. Offensively, he’ll be fine. You can see other guys. (Victor) Wembanyama, it was tough for him in the first game. I didn’t play well either (last year). He’ll be fine. I don’t think anyone should be stressing about it.”
Bad timing
Life for the NBA restricted free agents this summer continues to be one gut-punch after another, headlined by the Bulls’ Josh Giddey.
Because of the realization of the penalties in the first and second aprons now smacking teams in the face, there is no real bidding war on the market to compete with. That’s where the Giddey situation stood as of Saturday.
The Sun-Times reported last week that the guard’s camp was still hoping for the Jalen Suggs contract of $30 million per year, but the Bulls are in a slightly lower pay grade. The dialogue between both sides has remained good, but still no resolution.
The same can be said for the likes of Cam Thomas, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes.
As far as the rumors that had the Bulls in on a sign-and-trade for Kuminga, those have quieted down substantially.