Bulls forward Matas Buzelis said he always gets a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) this time of year, with March Madness in full swing.
“Maybe in another life,” Buzelis said of playing college basketball. “Hopefully some of the teams that I wanted to go to are contending to win.”
Buzelis never got a taste of the madness, opting for an untraditional route to the pros. After high school, he went straight to G League Ignite, a development team that allowed elite draft prospects to compete against professional competition.
Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga and Buzelis’ Bulls teammate Leonard Miller are two notable Ignite alums, but the NBA shut the team down in 2024.
Still, the experience worked for Buzelis, who is now one of the rising players from the 2024 draft class. His improvement has been one of the few bright spots for the Bulls this season.
Buzelis has nearly doubled his scoring average from his rookie year to 16.1 points per game. Just as important, his impact as a rim protector has reached a new level. His 105 blocks rank sixth in the NBA.
“The most impressive players to me are the guys that can play both sides [of the ball] at an elite level,” Buzelis said at shootaround. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m taking strides, but I have a lot to learn.”
With his size, shot creation and rim protection, Buzelis has the tools of a perennial All-Star. The Bulls future may hinge on him taking that leap in the coming years.
In the meantime, with the season grinding toward an unceremonious close, Buzelis is enjoying college basketball from afar. He said he has a “gut feeling” about top overall seed Arizona, one of the many schools that offered him a scholarship, and he also likes Rick Pitino’s St. John’s.
“I’m always a fan of the coaches,” Buzelis said. “I know a lot of players too, so it’s cool to watch them compete for something that matters a lot.”
Florida Madness
Coach Billy Donovan’s former team, No. 1 seed Florida, was knocked off by No. 9 Iowa in a stunner Sunday night.
The defending national champions were seeking their first back-to-back titles since Donovan coached Florida to championships in 2006 and 2007.
Instead, a late-game coaching decision cost them. Up two with under 10 seconds to play, Florida attempted to foul to prevent a 3-point attempt. Iowa broke the pressure and hit a wide-open, go-ahead 3.
Injury road
It’s still unclear whether Anfernee Simons and Jaden Ivey will play on the Bulls’ upcoming four-game road trip.
Both were added at the trade deadline but haven’t played much because of injuries. They returned to practice Monday.
Simons is still dealing with wrist soreness, but the medical staff is hopeful that more time will allow him to return during the trip.
Donovan said Ivey looked better physically but banged his injured knee in practice and had to sit out. He will see a doctor Monday night to determine next steps, and he may not travel with the team.
Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller have had a nice few weeks, helping the franchise find out some answers about them. Jaden Ivey could return next week and move that process along for his own sake. Josh Giddey would like to see more this season, and these three players can help that process.
While more than a handful of teams are all in on tanking, Jones was asked why Bulls players aren’t even thinking like that. Don’t expect that mentality to change over the last 12 games, either.
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