The NBA world is waiting for the arrival of Duke basketball superstar Cooper Flagg this summer and fans of many organizations are hoping they can lose as many games as possible this season with the hope of getting a better chance to land the top overall selection.
However, a specific NBA analyst of a premier franchise doesn’t think his team needs Cooper Flagg because of a current rookie the team already boasts.
Kendall Gill, a 15-year NBA veteran and current studio analyst for the Chicago Bulls, thinks that Matas Buzelis has a brighter future than the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“You already got Cooper Flagg,” Gill said on 670 The Score in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon in a message to Bulls fans.
“He’s bigger, he can handle the basketball better. In my opinion, he’s more athletic and they both have the same mentality, but I like Matas’ upside simply because I like his athleticism more and I like his mentality more than Cooper Flagg.”
.@KendallG13 believes Matas Buzelis is better than Cooper Flagg now and will be better than Flagg in the years to come.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) February 11, 2025
"Three years from now, you're going to be saying Kendall was right," Gill says.
Listen to his full explanation: https://t.co/MRsmxKLQiI pic.twitter.com/uu3hEzvaFZ
The hosts of the show were left stunned at the comments.
Buzelis was a 5-star recruit before electing to play last season with the NBA G-League Ignite and averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game where he became the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
His rookie season has been a struggle, averaging 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest and was not named as one of the 21 players selected for the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend.
“I just think his upside is tremendous,” Gill explained.
Meanwhile, Copper Flagg has done it all this season for the No. 3 Blue Devils, averaging 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game and emerged as the frontrunner for the National Player of the Year.
The Bulls currently sit with a one and a half game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament and have the 8th best odds of landing the top pick in the NBA Draft.