Western Conference scouts give their evaluation of Bulls' 11th overall pick, Matas Buzelis.
He still has a ways to go because he is so physically weak. He has some really eye-catching athleticism, cutting in to the baseline or closing out to the rim and dunking. But when he has the ball and a defender is in front of him and runs into him, he is likely to turn the ball over. And he is so inconsistent at shooting. I'm excited about his talent, but I think he's still a long way away because of his (current) physical limitations. He's so weak, and he has so little core balance and strength. It's going to be a few years before we really know if he can perform consistently in the NBA. He doesn't shoot well and he has too many turnovers. And while he has flashiness in terms of athleticism and spectacular plays, there are just as many plays that make you think, “Is this guy good enough?”
I don't know if (his defense) is just because he's weak or because he's not trying. … But he's tall and athletic, in terms of being able to avoid being touched. But he's just weak. When they run into him, they take the ball away from him. I think it's going to take him two years to get fit. If he can go to a weaker team and play while he's getting stronger physically, that could be a really good environment for him. They'll give him a chance to work. I watched him in AAU and I thought this guy was pretty good. But when he played with the adults and the guys that were more physically gifted, his weaknesses started to show.
Going further
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