Matas Buzelis, the first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls, expressed his excitement about getting to work after the NBA Draft on Wednesday. He now has a target date for one of his first assignments as the Bulls open play against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 13 at 3:30 p.m. Central in the NBA summer league. The Bulls will also face the Golden State Warriors on July 14 at 9 p.m., the Detroit Pistons on July 16 at 5:30 p.m., and the Atlanta Hawks on July 19 at 5 p.m.
The summer league matchup against the Pistons will feature Buzelis against his former G League Ignite teammate Ron Holland II, who was selected fifth overall. The game against the Hawks could feature the No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher from France. The top four teams from the league will advance to the playoffs starting with a semifinal game on July 21.
After being selected by his hometown team at No. 11 in the draft, Buzelis was emotional, saying, “This means the world.” The Bulls have not released their summer league roster yet. Second-year forward Julian Phillips, who represented the Bulls at the NBA Draft Lottery in May, mentioned that he is fully recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him for the season’s final 18 games.
Phillips expressed his dedication to working on his game and getting stronger during the offseason. He mentioned that he would be in Chicago for some months while also training in other locations to improve his skills. Overall, both Buzelis and Phillips are looking forward to making an impact during the upcoming summer league games.