Welcome to the roller coaster the Matas Buzelis experience has become.
Please fasten your shoulder straps and keep your hands inside the cart because it’s shaping up to be a bumpy ride.
As the Bulls rookie is finding out, it’s even an uncomfortable ride for him at times.
On Friday against the Celtics, it took coach Billy Donovan less than five minutes of watching Buzelis to realize he was completely overwhelmed by the spotlight. Playing against the defending champions with a chance to advance in the NBA Cup and trying to figure out how to deal with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum was too big a moment for Buzelis.
That’s why Donovan made the choice to make it a sit-and-watch night for Buzelis after the first quarter.
The game Monday against the tanking Nets, however, was more Buzelis’ speed for now, and he made sure to take full advantage of it. He scored a career-high 20 points in just less than 22 minutes, shot 4-for-5 from three-point range, grabbed five rebounds and used his length to block two shots and erase some defensive breakdowns in the paint.
It was the exact formula Donovan has laid out for him.
‘‘There’s going to be these ups and downs, so I give him a lot of credit [after] the five-minute rotation against Boston,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘One of his great strengths? [When] he gets disappointed, he wants to do better and it doesn’t paralyze him. I’ve seen players afraid to make mistakes and don’t do anything. He’s not that way. He came out [against the Nets] focused and earned his minutes. The work ethic, the competitiveness, all that stuff I love. I think that’s going to be huge. He’s got a really good mentality.’’
To go from a benching to balling out in a two-game stretch starts with a will to be great. That’s why Buzelis spent extra time watching film, specifically on defense, after the debacle against the Celtics.
And while no one is going to frown on a 20-point night against anybody, Buzelis’ development is about taking the raw tools he has and harnessing them into a defined role.
That means the things he could get away with on offense in the G League last season have to be left in the G League.
‘‘There are things he is accustomed to doing [that] he can’t get away with up here,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘In particular, on drives to the basket, there are times he tries to Eurostep because he’s long and tall. But as strong as guys are, a lot of times on drives he gets knocked off-balance. Those are things he always got away with.
‘‘But for a young player like Matas, 6-10 and athletic and a very good runner, I think the athleticism in the open floor translates. I think he can evolve because he does have a skill set to do that. He’s not afraid of failure or messing up. So it’s going be a process for him.’’
It’s a process Buzelis seems to be trying to embrace. While he could have gushed about his 20-point night against the Nets, he took a different approach — one a coach would love.
‘‘It was the defense that led to offense for me [and] for my teammates, too,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘We got stops, and I ran out and got some dunks.
‘‘Keep learning, keep striving, keep progressing. I think it’s gotten better every time I’ve played. I’m just trying to play free.’’
