MILWAUKEE – It had all the makings of the varsity running the JV squad straight out of the gym.
Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each with scheduled off nights, while Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu were each sidelined and nursing minor injuries.
So while Bulls coach Billy Donovan was starting Josh Giddey and a bunch of youngsters, Milwaukee was rolling out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez.
“Fear the Deer” as the slogan goes?
“Yeah, I would think for anybody it would probably be, right?” Donovan responded before the game, when he was asked if it had the makings of a “Welcome to the NBA night” for the Bulls youngsters.
The inevitable did happen, as the varsity won 111-107. But “Fearing the Deer” and that “Welcome to the NBA” stare down that was expected? Matas Buzelis must have missed the memo. Or more likely crumpled it up and thrown it in the corner of the locker room.
As the rookie has shown from the start of Summer League back in July through Monday’s preseason loss to the more experienced Milwaukee starting five, he doesn’t scare easily. He doesn’t even flinch.
There was a drive and dunk on Antetokounmpo late in the first quarter, a flagrant-1 delivered by Antetokounmpo on the rookie, and then late in the half Buzelis initially blocking the one-time league MVP in Antetokounmpo, only to be called for a foul on a put-back attempt and protesting it loudly to official James Capers.
Scared?
Nah, not Buzelis.
He eventually fouled out, but did so scoring 15 points, hitting three three-pointers, and finishing with a plus-five in the plus/minus category. More importantly, he continues playing with an attitude that this Bulls roster has sorely lacked since trading away Bobby Portis in the 2019 Otto Porter Jr. deal.
“I think that’s the best way he can possibly grow because he’s not afraid to go into something and fail, come up short, and have to learn and grow,” Donovan said of Buzelis. “He almost takes the approach, ‘I’m young, I’m going to lean into this, I’m not afraid. Whatever happens, I’m going to learn something.’ “
A good way to sum it up because Buzelis was definitely leaning into it and taking notes along the way.
“I don’t know, I just think of it as another player,” Buzelis said of his matchup with Antetokounmpo. “I know who he is of course, but when we step on the court it’s zero-zero, so that’s how I think about it.
“He’s a tough cover. He’s really strong, tall, athletic, does everything on the court, but I’m going to try my best out there and try and compete all the time.”
A point that didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.
“He’s not scared of anyone or any moment, and I think for a guy to come into the league like that, have that confidence, it’s huge for him,” Giddey said after the loss. “It’s easy for rookies to be shy, not take on challenges, but credit to him.
“Very talented kid and he’s going to have a helluva career in the NBA.”
As for Giddey, he did finish with 12 points and handed out five assists. Donovan was asked why he didn’t also give Giddey the game off and said the point guard needed the work.
“With what happened there at the end of the Olympics (hurting his ankle), and he really had almost eight weeks where he was just working out, hadn’t had a lot of playing,” Donovan said. “An opportunity to give him more time playing with these guys. For him, I do think it’s good for him to be out there.”