Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis expressed his desire to train with Portland’s Deni Avdija to improve his rim-attacking skills. Under new Bulls coach Tiago Splitter, Buzelis hopes to replicate Avdija’s breakout success. He also identified Kevin Durant and Franz Wagner as ideal offseason workout partners.
Appearing on the "Ball In The Family" podcast, Chicago Bulls star Matas Buzelis recently identified several players he hopes to train with during the offseason.
Deni Avdija
Position SF
Age 25
Height 200 cm
Weight 95 kg
Birth place Beit Zera, Israel
When asked to name his preferred workout partner, the Lithuanian forward brought up Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija.
"Who I really want to work with is Deni Avdija. I've been talking with him and I just feel like I was shooting too many threes. I need to get to the rim more. I wanna know how he lowers his shoulder, how he attacks. I've seen him in Vegas, we're supposed to workout this weekend."
The 21-year-old also mentioned Franz Wagner and Kevin Durant as ideal training partners. Buzelis was constantly compared to Wagner during the draft process; furthermore, he stressed that everyone could benefit from working out with KD.
Buzelis and Avdija connection
Given their similar player archetypes and the arrival of Tiago Splitter as the Bulls' new head coach, Buzelis' interest in training with Avdija is logical.
During his first campaign in Portland, Avdija performed well, averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. His play reached another level, however, after Splitter replaced Chauncey Billups as the Blazers' head coach following the latter's arrest last October.
In his first All-Star season, the 25-year-old accumulated averages of 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 33.3 minutes of play.
Such a significant jump in production offers a blueprint for Buzelis. By training with Avdija, he may find himself on a similar trajectory under Splitter's guidance.
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