WASHINGTON — Just in case the outsiders missed the memo: Billy Donovan is here to win basketball games.
The development of rookie Matas -Buzelis is important, but it’s not the priority. And you can forget about the Bulls tanking in order to keep their top-10-protected first-round pick out of the Spurs’ hands.
Donovan made that clear Monday in the Bulls’ 115-108 overtime victory in Charlotte, leaning on seldom-used Torrey Craig for 21 minutes over Buzelis, who played 10. On Wednesday, he provided the reasoning behind that decision.
“It’s a legitimately fair question because that’s something I go through all the time,” Donovan said. “The balance between [Buzelis] and also the responsibility to try to make decisions that I feel are the best to put the team in position to win. This is not to be critical of Matas, but when there are things going on out there that he is not doing a good enough job on, I can’t just keep on keeping him out there. He’s got to have a level of responsibility.
“That doesn’t mean he makes one mistake and he’s coming off. But defensive coverages, blocking out, getting back in transition, communicating, these are all growth things, and quite honestly it’s not something that Matas has struggled with — the whole team has struggled with those things at times. But when it’s not going well in the third quarter, it’s hard for me as a coach to just say, ‘Hey, just go. Just go do your thing, man. Whatever happens, happens.’ ’’
Donovan said Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in the 2024 draft, has improved and is developing the right way. The main hurdle is he still is figuring out routines for all aspects of NBA life.
Buzelis understood where Donovan was coming from.
“Of course, it’s tough for me,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘I think everybody is a competitor and wants to play, but I understand it, for sure. For me, I always want to win. Whatever it takes to win. If I have to sit the whole game to win the game, that’s fine with me. I want to win basketball games, and Torrey was killing it on Monday. Props to him.”
Buzelis has been working hard with assistant coach Peter Patton to improve his game and find a routine that works, and that has led to some good moments, Donovan said.
“The bigger picture I’m trying to work with him on is what he has to do to impact winning,” Donovan said. “Like, ‘It’s great that you have talent, but does that talent develop in terms of impacting winning?’ So to answer the question, I do think he’s gotten better and better.”
Then there’s the ‘but’
“But it’s hard for me as a coach to say, ‘OK, I’m taking [Craig] off the floor, and I’m just going to throw Matas out there’ because the group is really working toward trying to put their best foot forward and put themselves in position to win,” Donovan said. “And I feel like I’ve got a responsibility to try to help them.”
Speaking of . . .
Craig was ruled out against the Wizards with a bruised right leg.
He was injured late in the game against the Hornets after scoring a season-high 18 points.
Donovan didn’t think Craig would miss much time.
Happy return
Guard Zach LaVine (left toe) was back in the starting lineup Wednesday after missing the game against the Hornets. He had a game-high 32 points in the Bulls’ 125-107 loss to the Wizards.