Matas Buzelis finished Saturday’s 107-81 loss to the Lakers with 10 points (3-of-11 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three blocked shots in 25 minutes.
Despite the Lakers playing without Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, they managed to blitz Buzelis and the Bulls and not look back. The lottery pick did not shoot the ball particularly well, but he did manage to accumulate one steal and three blocked shots. If Buzelis can provide consistent defensive production, that would boost his fantasy value in a lineup that includes Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. In previous seasons, Chicago has been willing to commit to chasing a play-in spot, even if that limits their flexibility in rebuilding. Going all-in on a rebuild would make Buzelis one of the more valuable fantasy rookies in this class.