The 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year voting results were officially announced to the public on Tuesday, with Spurs’ Stephon Castle becoming the fourth Spurs player to take home the award. Castle received 92 of 100 first-place votes, winning in a landslide over runner-up Zaccharie Risacher (who only received five first-place votes). One thing that immediately stood out when reading the voting results was that Matas Buzelis and Jared McCain tied for seventh place in the race. Both guys only received a single third-place vote each. Despite showing signs of stardom after the All-Star break, it was not enough for voters to seriously consider Buzelis a candidate for the award. This poses the question: Was he unfairly snubbed due to his limited minutes in the early season?
Matas Buzelis Snubbed in Rookie of the Year Voting
Assessing Matas Buzelis’ Rookie of the Year Case
Matas’ career began at a slow pace this season due to minutes restrictions from coach Billy Donovan. In the first 47 games of the season, Buzelis averaged a mere 13.3 minutes and recorded low statistical averages of 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. However, after Zach LaVine was traded to Sacramento in early February, things quickly turned around from there for Matas.
In the final 33 games, Matas’ minutes per game shot up to 26.9. Once Billy Donovan finally let Buzelis loose, he averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. A few games in particular made Matas stand out and establish himself as a potential star. Two games after Lavine left for Sacramento, Matas shot a perfect 100% from the field against the Heat on Feb. 4. He went 10-for-1o and scored 24 points to help propel the team to a 133-124 win. Matas also dropped a career-high 31 points on March 22, shooting 12-for-18 as the Bulls blew out the Lakers 146-115 at their home court.
While Buzelis did not put together these numbers long enough to warrant serious consideration for the rookie of the year award, he deserved more votes than the committee sent his way. Buzelis had the sixth-highest points per game for a rookie post-All-Star break. This put him ahead of Grizzlies’ rookies Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey, as well as Heat rookie Kel’el Ware. However, all three of these guys still received more votes than him for the award. Buzelis’ athleticism also helped him stand out as a young player for the Bulls’ future, as he ranked in the top 30 in total blocks and was one of the league’s most impressive dunkers, made evident by earning an appearance in February’s Slam Dunk Contest.
The Last Word
Matas’ scoring and athletic ability deserved to net him more than just a single vote in the rookie of the year sweepstakes. However, Buzelis receiving recognition at all is awesome to see for him and the Bulls fanbase. Buzelis showed at the end of the season that he has All-Star talent for the Bulls to build around. He can slot at both the small forward and power forward positions and give the Bulls flexibility at the wing. His standout shooting performances after LaVine’s departure showed glimpses of what a Matas-led offense’s ceiling could be. If Buzelis played without a minutes restriction early on, he would have been firmly in consideration.
Photo credit: © David Banks-Imagn Images
The post Matas Buzelis Snubbed in Rookie of the Year Voting appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.