Matas Buzelis dazzles fans with Summer League slam dunk
During the first week of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, one of the top human highlight reels has been Chicago Bulls' second-year wing Matas Buzelis and his dazzling dunks. Over the weekend, Matas Buzelis threw down a smooth slam after shooting out on the break during one of the Bulls' early summer league games.
On Monday, Buzelis was at it again with another big slam dunk that wowed the fans in attendance. This time, Buzelis cut to the basket, grabbed a pass from Bulls rookie big man Lachlan Olbrich, and soared to the basket without any dribbles for the dunk.
NBA fans aren't new to Buzelis' high flying exploits. As a rookie, he selected to participate in the NBA's Dunk Contest over All-Star Weekend, but he failed to advance to the final round. Buzelis was selected due to his penchant for dunking that had been on display during the regular season.
As the Bulls continue to be a team that's stuck in 'no-man's land,' essentially not good enough to be a serious playoff threat but not bad enough to tank, Buzelis represents a bright spot for the organization. For the time being, the Bulls seem like a team locked in to the play-in range, but Buzelis' development will be something to watch for fans.
This past season he appeared in 80 games as a rookie, including 31 starts, at a little over 18 minutes per game. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 45.4 percent shooting from the field, 36.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 81.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He was also selected to the All-Rookie Second Team and finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Buzelis was among the final group of players from the G League Ignite before the NBA decided to do away with the program. He was selected by the Bulls with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Related: Noa Essengue Bulls photo goes viral after getting posterized in Summer League
Related: B/R's GOAT list features close Michael Jordan-LeBron James battle
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