CHICAGO (670 The Score) – The NBA ecosystem found its equilibrium Saturday at the United Center.
Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis flashed his lofty potential early on while his team jumped out to a 13-point lead before Suns star Kevin Durant inflicted his indominable will and made the big plays late. In the end, a Bulls team that many believe could benefit from losing down the stretch to increase its draft lottery odds suffered a 121-117 setback to a veteran-laden Suns team that’s desperately pushing for a play-in berth.
Afterward, the 6-foot-10 Durant – probably the greatest pure scorer in NBA history – praised the 6-foot-9 Buzelis after the two squared off for the first time.
“I like Matas,” Durant said. “I liked him when he was in the G League Ignite. He’s long, athletic, can shoot it. He’s definitely going to have some bumps and bruises as he gets through his first few years in the league trying to figure stuff out, but the more experience, the more reps he gets on the floor as a starter, the better he’ll become. Billy (Donovan) is giving him more opportunity. Just play. I hear him on the sidelines, ‘Attack, attack, attack, shoot the ball, be aggressive.’ His teammates are encouraging him to do that. Playing underneath that is just going to make you a better player.”
Buzelis had 15 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block while shooting 5-of-10 in 23-plus minutes Saturday. He was particularly impressive early, scoring 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first six minutes of the game. Among those four buckets was a step-back 3-pointer and a layup following a nifty dribble and step-through in traffic.
It’s those type of plays that caught Durant’s attention, but Durant also preached the need to have patience with the 20-year-old Buzelis, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Illustrating his point, whether Durant realized it or not, was the fact that Buzelis didn’t play much in crunch time Saturday.
Buzelis entered with 8:06 remaining, only to be pulled at the 5:17 mark of the fourth quarter after committing a pair of turnovers in that short stretch. He did end up playing the final 1:45 but only because fellow forward Julian Phillips fouled out. Bulls coach Billy Donovan explained that he liked what Phillips was providing and indicated Buzelis was a bit tentative late after his strong start.
In Durant’s mind, it’s part of the learning curve.
“Just give him some time to grow,” Durant said of Buzelis. “I know it’s so exciting to have a young, athletic wing here. That’s a premium in the league when you want to get younger. These draft picks are a premium. Everybody wants to see him do well. But I think it’s always going to take time for a player to find out who he truly is out on the floor. And people can’t rush that. There might be times where he doesn’t play well. Stay patient with him. I think when you’re 6-9 and you can do all things on the floor like that, it’s going to take awhile for a coach or a team to kind of know exactly where they need to put you and how you’re going to affect the game. It’s almost a good problem to have, but it might take some time for him to truly understand his role and a coach to understand what he brings to the table, but it’s going to be a journey that everybody is tuned into and is excited about, including me.”
Of course, the difference Saturday ended up being Durant, who hit four late free throws that broke a 111-111 tie with 2:22 remaining. Then with the Suns clinging to a 118-115 lead in the final half-minute, Durant drew a double-team and made the right pass to start a sequence that ended with guard Bradley Beal hitting a dagger 3-pointer.
Reliable as ever, the 36-year-old Durant scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting while adding 11 rebounds and five assists. It represented the type of consistent star production and winning result that the Bulls hope Buzelis can help provide in the years to come.
“Just like the rest of Chicago, I’m just going to sit back and watch and see what happens from here,” Durant said of Buzelis. “I got high expectations, just like you guys do, but you also know that you can’t bank you whole franchise on just one player. Everybody needs to come with their game and show that they can become a full team, but I think he’s a huge piece to that.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.