Bulls forward Matas Buzelis was at a loss for words when reporters asked him to evaluate his season.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I don\u2019t really know,\u2019\u2019 Buzelis said after the Bulls\u2019 loss Friday to the Magic. \u2018\u2018What did I accomplish this year?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
When he was told he became one of six players in NBA history to have made at least 150 three-pointers and blocked at least 100 shots in a season, he was taken aback \u2014 especially when players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant were in that company.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018That\u2019s crazy, yeah,\u2019\u2019 Buzelis said, his mood changing with the new information. \u2018\u2018It definitely means a lot to me, for sure. It shows the work that I put in [last] summer, during the season, the dedication, countless hours in the gym. And there\u2019s just more. I want to accomplish more \u2014 and more for our team.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He likely will have to wait on both fronts because a badly sprained ankle suffered in the fourth quarter against the Magic means he is doubtful to play in the Bulls\u2019 season finale Sunday in Dallas.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s a season Buzelis, 21, should be proud of from an individual standpoint. He nearly doubled his scoring average from his rookie season, going from 8.6 points per game to 16.3; he was stronger defensively from a physicality standpoint and still has room to improve; and he became a legitimate top-10 rim protector.<\/p>\n
Is he a definitive high-ceiling All-Star yet? No, but he has the highest ceiling of any player on the Bulls\u2019 roster. And he has a great work ethic.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I know this summer I am going to work my butt off,\u2019\u2019 Buzelis said. \u2018\u2018The whole summer, it\u2019s going to be a hard summer for me. Getting my body stronger and sharpening pretty much everything. But mainly the body part, the shot, the handle, just everything. The main thing will be [adding] the strength.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I always want more for myself and the team. I definitely believe that I am [a foundation piece]. I know for a fact I am only going to get better. If they want me here and they believe in me, I\u2019m here. I believe I am definitely a big piece, and I am going to continue to work and put my head down and grind to show it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Those are all things the Bulls should be excited to hear. If only they had the key figures in place to hear them.<\/p>\n
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley were fired Monday, and coach Billy Donovan\u2019s future is up in the air. Donovan is expected to meet with ownership next week to discuss the Bulls\u2019 plans and whether he wants to be a part of them.<\/p>\n
Buzelis discussed both topics in what was likely his exit interview with the media.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It was tough,\u2019\u2019 Buzelis said of the firings. \u2018\u2018The organization is going to do what they feel is best, but it\u2019s unfortunate because those guys drafted me, believed in me. They were like family to me. Those guys are going to be good. They\u2019re great people. They work really hard.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
As for Donovan, Buzelis had high praise for him and for the tough love he uses to coach him.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I want him to stay,\u2019\u2019 Buzelis said. \u2018\u2018I\u2019m riding with him forever.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I remember sitting down with Billy [last] summer and talking about how I don\u2019t know how to win. It\u2019s a team sport and hard to win basketball games, but you can be a winning player out there and do what it takes for the team to win.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I haven\u2019t really been on a team where I have to pave the way with my teammates to lead them to victory in games. I told them I don\u2019t know what to do, and they taught me. I wanted to show them this season I am a winning player and I have those characteristics.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bulls forward Matas Buzelis was at a loss for words when reporters asked him to evaluate his season.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-578779","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-nba","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}