Already three games into the season, and Matas Buzelis is making an impression on the Chicago Bulls. He is averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as the Bulls are off to a 3-0 start.
On Monday, they came back from 13 points down to defeat the Atlanta Hawks 128-123. Altogether, Buzelis finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
As the season unfolds, Buzelis has set lofty goals for himself. His boisterous confidence has led him to aim for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award in his second season.
Recently, Buzelis outed the player he wanted to follow in Tracy McGrady's footsteps, per DJ Siddiqi of RG.org. Essentially, Buzelis said he didn't necessarily follow the team but was drawn to McGrady's style.
“I was a guy who watched a lot of players,” says Buzelis of McGrady. “I like Tracy McGrady.”
Plus, Buzelis connected his own fandom to that of the present NBA landscape. In other words, it is more about the players and not the team.
“I think the younger generation now are fans of our fans of certain players, not teams specifically,” he said. “I was a guy who watched everyone, and I would steal stuff from everyone.”
Much like Buzelis, McGrady was 6-foot-8. Altogether, he became a seven-time NBA All-Star and a scoring champion. He played for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets.
He was a high-scoring, up-tempo player who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Buzelis brings a similar sense of urgency, quickness, and flair.
Tracy McGrady could have played for the Bulls
Following the end of the Bulls' dynasty in the 1990s, the organization began a steep decline. However, on two occasions, they could have snatched up McGrady.
In 1997, then General Manager Jerry Krause was looking to trade Scottie Pippen and draft McGrady from Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, North Carolina. While the longstanding belief is that Michael Jordan prevented it, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf was the one who decided against it.
Ultimately, the Toronto Raptors drafted him.
Three years later, the Bulls made an offer to McGrady after he became a free agent. Instead, he signed with the Orlando Magic.
In 2010, Chicago made one last pitch to get McGrady. However, he had come off knee surgery and concerns about his health and limited play derailed any more chances.
