Jazz guard Keyonte George was upset as his game-winning shot came up short and sealed the Bulls’ 126-124 win.
He gestured emphatically before slumping his shoulders and walking off the court. There was some communication on the final play and someone didn’t set a screen. Growing pains.
The Bulls’ Matas Buzelis experienced some growing pains of his own, but he didn’t get the ability to work through them.
At the 10:16 mark in the third quarter, coach Billy Donovan pulled Buzelis off the floor after he allowed Jazz forward Ace Bailey to sky toward the rim for an offensive rebound. Buzelis returned at the 4:09 mark of the third quarter — and didn’t play in the fourth — and finished with 18:34 minutes as the Bulls escaped with a win after the game-winning basket by center Nikola Vucevic.
Donovan wasn’t pleased with Buzelis’ help-side defense and efforts on the glass. He said he didn’t like the energy of the first unit, which led to the short leash. The Bulls were on the second end of a back-to-back, but Buzelis had to adjust and be prepared regardless of the situation.
“There’s a standard of play ... there’s going to be mistakes,” Donovan said. “I didn’t like the way the first two minutes went early. I got him off early, and pretty soon after that I took the rest of [the group] out.”
In the short-term, the Bulls got the win, but this season should be about developing Buzelis. He has to be given the ability to learn from his mistakes. Especially considering that the Bulls didn’t have a banner night defensively.
“Happy we won,” said Vucevic, who finished with 35 points. “We found a way, which is most important, but obviously we understand it’s gonna be hard to win like this.
The Bulls, who played many players who have multiple seasons of NBA experience under their belt, struggled to put away a Jazz team that played one veteran with more than two years of NBA experience (Kyle Anderson) because of injuries.
Though the Jazz haven’t drafted higher than No. 5 (forward Ace Bailey), the emergence of George has been a revelation for a Jazz team stuck in neutral since trading franchise stalwarts Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. They have an intriguing group of young players.
On Wednesday, Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh had a field day with the Bulls’ porous defense. He finished with a career-high 43 points and received a long leash. Buzelis played less minutes than underwhelming forward Patrick Williams.
Buzelis’ short night is illustrative of the organization’s inability to take a long-term approach to its season. Donovan said the team isn’t “just handing out minutes.” Buzelis has to improve his attention to details, but the team also has to give him more room to work through mistakes.
“I don’t make it seem like it’s all about him because it’s not,” Donovan said. “He’s gotten a lot better, and I feel like my responsibility is to challenge him to be better in those moments figuring out ways to really come and play because it’s hard.”
At one point on Wednesday, the Jazz trotted out five players (forward Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, center Kyle Filipowski, forward Taylor Hendricks, George and Bailey) with two years or less of NBA experience. That young nucleus is trying to find its footing in the league and build camaraderie.
The Bulls will hit the 41-game mark Friday and still resemble the same team that has been stuck in the middle since the 2021-22 season. The Bulls know who they are.
The Bulls hope that Buzelis learns from having to sit in clutch time, or that some of Vucevic’s professionalism rubs off on Buzelis. Vucevic said some of the young players ask him questions about his preparation.
The future of the Bulls is in the ability of the organization to develop its young players to get the most out of their talent. The Jazz understand the importance and prioritize their development. The Bulls are still chasing the thrills of short-term wins.
“Hopefully I can help some of the other young guys develop, even if it’s one little thing,” Vucevic said. “It’s a great thing. It’s part of the brotherhood ... try to give back and help others as well along the way.”