-Shooter_McGavin- | CHI

600 | 4 hours ago

His agent would have to be the most incompetent person in the world to allow that to happen. They struck gold.

nevercontribute1 | Trail Blazers

250 | 4 hours ago

Seriously, dude went #1 without #1 talent, he had everything to lose by being tested.

cl353 | Heat

123 | 4 hours ago

dude gets 57m guaranteed if his option gets picked up. thats an above average nba career from 2 weeks of hot shooting lol

un-affiliated | Bulls

36 | 3 hours ago

Just saw they have to make a decision by Oct 31st. Basically he just needs a good training camp and the money is his.

DyslexicAutronomer | Supersonics

13 | an hour ago

The other teams knew the Spurs wanted to pair either him or Sarr together with Wemby, so they were gassing them up till they gassed themselves.

Tbf to the Hawks, I don’t see any draft pick that would have done better at no.1, knowing how often the Hawks would change roster since 24.

It’s just too unstable there for a rookie project, which most of the 24 class were.

Btherock78

11 | an hour ago

The Hawks finally getting a first pick in the year between Wemby & Flagg is peak Atlanta Sports.

cactusmaster69420 | San Diego Clippers

1 | 30 minutes ago

Sarr would’ve been a nice backup and eventual replacement for Okongwu and getting to play off Trae

maltrab | NBA

1 | 29 minutes ago

To be fair, there was no #1 talent in that draft class.

LeJalenJohnsonMVP | Hawks

402 | 4 hours ago

If 1v1s meant anything Beasley would be the GOAT

crimsonconnect | Knicks

74 | 4 hours ago

Imma do it you sexy

Imma make the people love you tonight

For real

oupritch1 | Thunder

4 | 2 hours ago

You get a bucket

Nice_Cash_7000 | NBA

-77 | 4 hours ago

ur acting as if Matas isnt 3x the player ZR is

mannheimcrescendo

64 | 4 hours ago

Can you read

MichaelJ1972

28 | 4 hours ago

Probably, but reading comprehension … that’s doubtful.

Exzqairi | Pistons

31 | 4 hours ago

Top 1% contributor on r/NBA but can’t read simple words. If only your parents could see this

Yider

12 | 3 hours ago

Ive never understood someone who just spams more than others gets a title like that. It should at the least be an upvoted award or something. But reddit wants activity so i get it.

Exzqairi | Pistons

9 | 3 hours ago

It’s a new thing that means nothing. Problem isn’t that they need to rework it. The problem is that users on Reddit need to realize that badge doesn’t mean anything

If anything the people who have it have some of the worst basketball takes I come across

LeJalenJohnsonMVP | Hawks

33 | 4 hours ago

Me? Where did I do that

MrPapadapalas | Timberwolves

10 | 4 hours ago

If going off stats he is just about 2x the player ZR is.

Not saying much because both are bonified bench players on any real basketball team.

DaveDabussy

3 | 3 hours ago

Nah matas is legit asf wtf is this take

choomahunt

5 | 3 hours ago

doesn’t watch him play but is confident after glancing at his stats for 2 seconds

MrPapadapalas | Timberwolves

-4 | 3 hours ago

I watched the sorry ass bulls more than I should’ve this year. You guys just love white rookies who show flashes for a quarter of the season.

He’s decent, he’s a bench player on most good teams.

Rosilev

2 | 3 hours ago

2nd year btw. He still has a lot to time to continue improving.

MrPapadapalas | Timberwolves

2 | 3 hours ago

I do not disagree with that.

TA_Account_12 | SAS

2 | 3 hours ago

Oh yeah, the 21 year old who can give you 2.5 3s and 1.5 blocks per game while showing flashes of great defense and playmaking is a bench player. Yeah, he may not start on ³⁰⁄₃₀ teams right now, but give him a couple of years and he’s the perfect 2nd/3rd option for almost every single team out there.

DaveDabussy

0 | 3 hours ago

Which good teams are you referring to?

Brief-Chapter5629 | Bulls

-1 | an hour ago

Yeah that’s why you traded for our guard Ayo? STFU you don’t know ball. Good thing your star prefers fucking raw to fucking helping his teammates get open

DeMarcus-Siblings | Pistons

3 | an hour ago

Tbf I also prefer fucking raw to most things so I get it

Brief-Chapter5629 | Bulls

1 | 39 minutes ago

Yeah I don’t blame young buck. Like him a lot but this stat watching dumbass should probably go watch some Risacher highlights before he opens his yap again

MrPapadapalas | Timberwolves

2 | an hour ago

You’re right im sorry bulls are super competitive and are a real dark horse to win it all.

Brief-Chapter5629 | Bulls

0 | 40 minutes ago

Nah but we have a rookie who might be something in a few years. Better than a 1b and whatever the fuck you think Rudy and Lamelo do for yall. Gonna enjoy watching you guys go 40-42 now

MahomesMccaffrey | Slovenia

139 | 4 hours ago

what does Zach have to gain from a 1v1 tho?

He’s stock was set and it’s honestly the smart thing to do to turn down that challenge.

dannyphoto | Bulls

128 | 4 hours ago

LIL BUZI VERT

Edit: 1v1s don’t matter, that’s for sure. But Matas is clearly the better player.

CapableRequirement15

92 | 4 hours ago

Tbh not much to gain for Zaccharie, he wins he’s already a better prospect he loses and it could cause some drama about his credibility, still kind of showed he didn’t have a “dawg mentality”, ended up losing smth anyway

Julio_Freeman | Hawks

81 | 4 hours ago

I don’t think this showed anything about Zac. Guys lower in the draft are always hyping themselves up and taking shots at the guys above them. They’re all posturing to be picked as high as possible. They know nothing is actually going to happen.

elaichSD

17 | 4 hours ago

Matas was considered a top draft pick and a top prospect in line with Cooper Flagg when leaving high school. The G-league ignite was a train wreck due to coaching, and it hurt his draft stock. But anyone who watched him in the gleague rising stars match and throughout the season, saw that he was still that high ceiling prospect.

wikisaiyan2 | Hornets

18 | 4 hours ago

yea, I remember early 24 mock drafts having Buzelis as a 6’9 PG/SF and Ron Holland mocked going number 2 behind him.

And Topic was supposed to be doing what steph Castle is doing in San Antonio w/ Wemby lol.

BEE_REAL_ | Raptors

19 | 2 hours ago

To be fair to Topic he has since had an ACL tear and CANCER. Can’t blame the guy lol

AntiAntiDentite7

3 | 3 hours ago

Topic still might. He’s still young as fuck. He’s just been battling health issues and have really got a season under him yet

AlmostHereButNot | Bulls

11 | 3 hours ago

I’m biased because I’m a Bulls fan, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Buzelis going as far as 11 should never have happened, but I’m happy it did, obviously. The 2024 class is one of the worst classes we’ve had. He should have been a top 5 pick, but he fell HARD because of Ignite. In hindsight, we all realize that Matas at 11 was a massive steal and Risacher going at 1 was absurd. Even at the time, though, nobody expected Buzelis to drop THAT far and a lot of people assumed Sarr was going at 1 (but he didn’t want to play for Atlanta lmfao).

FunIsWinning | Thunder

2 | an hour ago

No bias because I’m not a Bulls fan, and I agree with you. Tidjane and Zacc went higher despite being less proven and being in a better scenario pre-draft. Matas is still doing well in the context of how bad ignite is, and he lowkey proven that he is clearly a NBA-level talent in that rising star game, a smaller scale of what Coop did in the USA scrimmage. Importantly, compared to Tidjane and Zacc, Matas actually had a more polished skillset and better functional athleticism while being the same archetype as them. Yes, Matas efficiency is bad but goddamn that Ignite team doesn’t even look like they are running plays.

AlmostHereButNot | Bulls

1 | 34 minutes ago

Somebody in another reply to my comment just said Buzelis should’ve gone at pick 15 and not 5 so hey I’m happy somebody agrees with me. I won’t go out there and claim he’s an incredible player by any metric, but he’s at least a clear starter on the Bulls and is actually a really solid shot-blocker and has some real, tangible skills that you can pinpoint. It’s like how Jared McCain at 16 was a steal. They’re not EXTREMELY low in the order, but they still deserved higher.

Prince_of_DeaTh | Lithuania

-1 | an hour ago

I think he was actually picked appropriately; I would place him somewhere between 10th and 15th . Like the huge steals of 2024 class were Cam Spencer going 53rd, Ajay Mitchell 38th, Kyle Filipowski 32nd. At least he’s not a bust like Williams, Salaün, Dillingham

AlmostHereButNot | Bulls

1 | 39 minutes ago

I’m sorry, but that’s an incredibly strange take. You would put Buzelis at 10-15? That’s absurd. He should have gone at 5 or 6. You could reasonably put Sarr, Castle, Clingan, and Sheppard above him without much argument. You’ll get a lot more debates if he goes lower than that. Especially at 15 of all places. You couldn’t possibly list 14 players that are better than Matas Buzelis in the 2024 draft class. I’ve seen some bad takes, and I understand that there’s some homerism at play here, but lmfao. Buzelis close to 15??????

Prince_of_DeaTh | Lithuania

1 | 26 minutes ago

It’s been two seasons im just speaking from what I saw of him. He might show himself to be clearly better next season. Im pretty high on him; he’s playing for my national team lol.

AlmostHereButNot | Bulls

1 | 17 minutes ago

Okay then. Name the 14 players that should have gone before him in the 2024 draft. I didn’t think he was very good on Team Lithuania, for the record, but in the NBA, he was the best player on the Bulls last season aside from maybe Josh Giddey. Not a HUGE bar to clear, but I’d really love to hear which 14 players are better than Matas Buzelis according to you.

[deleted]

1 | an hour ago

[deleted]

elaichSD

2 | an hour ago

Thompson’s didn’t play for the Ignite. They were OTE.

CapableRequirement15

2 | 2 hours ago

I agree but not everyone will think that especially with posts like these, as I said lose lose situation

SuperSayian4Nappa | Charlotte Bobcats

42 | 4 hours ago

Me talking about Jay Z not responding to my diss track

elaichSD

22 | 4 hours ago

I mean, Matas was also a top tier prospect and since the draft has proven to be the better player.

You aren’t a peer of Jay-Z, so the analogy is bonkers.

Pomo1012

13 | 4 hours ago

The analogy is is Jay z and Zac and nothing to gain and everything to lose

elaichSD

4 | 4 hours ago

I get that, but there is a huge difference between getting challenged/dissed by your peer, versus a virtual nobody.

A lot of people considered Zacc a reach at number 1, and two seasons later, that shows to be true getting tossed into a random Dort trade. I think the rejection of this challenge should have been a red flag for teams, dude is already comfortable and not a competitor.

Matas on the other hand has improved year over year, and looks to be a high ceiling piece in the bulls rebuild. He has a chip on his shoulder and wants to be the best.

ringuzi

2 | 3 hours ago

Yeah seriously. I know that Zaccharie Risacher is a better basketball player than anyone I’ve ever met. But at the same time he’s probably a worse basketball player than prime Brian Scalabrine. Wish they could play one on one.

nex_eden

3 | 2 hours ago

scalabrine’s peak was 6 ppg on sub 40% shooting. risacher finished second for rookie of the year.

ringuzi

2 | 2 hours ago

Risacher averaged 9 ppg last season after being drafted #1. His team threw him away. Seems to be on the James Wiseman career path. You’re right Scal’s stats are lower. Still think there are thousands that would beat this guy 1:1 and contribute more to an NBA squad and locker room.

murmurderer | Knicks

9 | 3 hours ago

idk SuperSayian4Nappa had a crazy mixtape run

AlonsoQ

2 | 3 hours ago

they know matas was a top 5 mock, we found j cole’s burner

FadeRunna | 76ers

11 | 3 hours ago

He already dissed you

And all you other cats throwin shots at Jigga

You only get half a bar, fuck yall ninjas

wikisaiyan2 | Hornets

46 | 4 hours ago

“My advantage is that Im simply better than him,“ he added when asked about his main advantage that would enable him to be better than him.

lol.

RoastDaMostToast | Pelicans

6 | 2 hours ago

He’s so cool

GGTae | Spurs

32 | 4 hours ago

Zacch was literally playing in his professional team when Matas’s season ended and challenged him, that’s how I knew Matas was dumb

IMovedYourCheese | Warriors

25 | 4 hours ago

The person already in a winning position gains nothing from stupid challenges like these.

Top_Lettuce_4606

16 | 4 hours ago

I got matas 11-3.

mnight84

10 | 4 hours ago

I am going to defend Zaccharie Risacher, there was nothing for him to gain from playing matas buzelis. Zaccharie Risacher was considered the number one pick, playing anyone doesn’t benefit him at that point because if he loses he opens the door for criticism and skepticism.

Medium_Spend_6732 | Raptors

6 | 4 hours ago

Unfortunately 1v1 Basketball is not the sport these guys are paid to play.

dolphingarden | Warriors

3 | 4 hours ago

1v1s don’t mean jack shit

CarmeloSmokesWeed | Knicks

2 | 3 hours ago

years before this draft Buzelis was the projected number 1, I think he dropped bc he wasn’t that impressive on the Ignite team. He may not be a no.1 overall talent but in this draft, he for sure could’ve been

Pwyll__ | Lakers

2 | an hour ago

4 yr(s) / $57,027,437

He would’ve been dumb to anything outside of shutting up and waiting for draft night.

[deleted]

1 | 4 hours ago

[deleted]

Ok_Mango9561

1 | 3 hours ago

neither

jumboponcho | Hawks

1 | 2 hours ago

Crazy because Buzelis was the #1 prospect for the longest, probably still would’ve been if he went to college

AccelerationFinish

1 | 2 hours ago

Most draftees who are guaranteed to be a top X pick won’t work out against other players. Since they’ve already secured their draft spot, they don’t have anything to gain from playing against other players, and can only lose by doing so.

The strategy worked out because he secured the bag and was the #1 pick…

i0verslept74

1 | an hour ago

If you’re handing out challenges nobodys taking, might as well call out KD, LeBron, and Steph too. Dream bigger.

paddiction | SAS

1 | an hour ago

Kobe would have taken on the challenge and dominated him

the_gargler | Trail Blazers

1 | 42 minutes ago

It’s a lose lose for him, so from that angle I get it. But also I would decline too if I knew with absolute certainty I was going to get smoked.

DamagedGoods3

0 | 4 hours ago

It’s wild how one conversation or one decision before the draft can completely change a player’s career path.

resident_hater | Bulls

-1 | an hour ago

You can just tell Buzelis thinks he’s a lot better than he actually is.

He’s a good player but behaves like he’s all-NBA. He hasn’t accomplished aside from putting up decent numbers on a terrible team.

Story from before the 2024 NBA draft of Matas Buzelis challenging Zaccharie Risacher to a 1v1 which he declined