LOS ANGELES — Josh Giddey was calling BS.
The Bulls guard was informed that youngster Matas Buzelis didn’t feel like he’s hit the proverbial “rookie wall,” and immediately laughed while also setting the record straight.
“He’s lying,” Giddey said.
After all, it wasn’t long ago that Giddey was a fresh-faced rook, trying to find his way in Oklahoma City back in the 2021-22 season. Not only did he recall hitting the wall, but the wall hitting back.
“For me the way I started my rookie year, I was frantic, everything was 100 mph, and then slowly the game started to become slower that year,” Giddey said on Saturday. “It took me a couple of months before that really started happening. Rookie wall I probably hit it middle of the year, December or January. It lasted probably a couple weeks, and then you get that second wind and realize that no one before coming to the NBA plays these amount of games, so you get used to it.
“I feel like everyone hits it, a lot of guys talk about it, it’s a real thing.”
Not in Buzelis’ world.
Despite entering the game against the Lakers scoring in single digits in four of his last six games, shooting just 24% from three-point range over that time, as well as seeing minutes dwindle, Buzelis wasn’t admitting to any walls in his path.
“People can say what they want to say,” Buzelis said. “I haven’t hit a wall. I feel like I’ve got good energy out there. There’s been some games where the offense hasn’t really been going for me, but some nights are like that. Defensively, I feel like I’ve been really good.”
He backed that up and then some in the 146-115 dismantling of Los Angeles, as Buzelis scored a career-high 31 points. Not the only career-high, either, as Giddey registered the triple-double with a career-high 17 assists to go along with his 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Coby White continued his hot streak with a game-high 36 points.
But it was Buzelis that had the buzz around him, especially after guarding Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and now LeBron James on this road trip.
“I’m a competitive guy,” Buzelis said. “I just knew I had to come and compete. It’s fun. I’m just enjoying my experience guarding all these tough guys.
“It’s been a good week for me (defensively). Just got to move forward.”
And learn from it all, which Buzelis feels like he’s doing and doing so under fire.
“You can watch all that film but playing out there is a different beast,” Buzelis said. “A guy like KD you’ve got to compete and make it tough. Be physical, make every catch tough, and then contest as much as possible.”
Then pray.
A night later in Sacramento, Buzelis started the game but found himself on the bench coming out of the halftime locker room and only saw just over three minutes of work in the second half. Coach Billy Donovan explained it as just the way the matchups were working out.
Maybe, but Buzelis was a minus-10 in plus/minus and did look like he was having a rough go at it right from the tip.
Signs that the most consistent thing about rookies is the inconsistency.
But it didn’t take long for the bounce back to come, as Buzelis erased all the offensive woes of the last few weeks.
“Everybody before they come to the NBA, they’re probably the man on their team, so it takes time to adjust to that different type of role,” Giddey said. “Physicality-wise he’s really improved from the beginning of the year. He’s kind of got that swagger about him and he’s going to need it. He’s a very, very talented guy, so once the game starts to slow down for him it’s going to get a lot easier.”
A point Buzelis agreed 100% on with Giddey.
“I think I’ve learned the most about basketball the last four or five months than I have in my total life,” Buzelis said. “Being in the NBA, playing against all these guys, now it’s just building it, making the tools sharper, everything sharper. Handles, shooting, defense, all of it. I know I’m going to be a really good player. I put the work in, the effort in every day, and I love this sport. I’ll do anything it takes to better myself.”