Analyst picks the best Chicago Bulls player 3 years from now

Matas Buzelis is the future of the franchise, so it makes him an easy pick when projecting who the best Chicago Bulls player will be down the road. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes didn’t even have to think twice about it.

“Even if Matas Buzelis hadn’t broken out in the second half of last season, he probably still would have been the pick for the Chicago Bulls,” he said. Buzelis was struggling early in 2024-25 and failed to get a lot of minutes, but everyone watching knew there was enough athleticism and competitiveness to suggest he would eventually be something.

“After the All-Star break, Buzelis became a full-time starter. The promotion agreed with him,” Hughes said. “Averages of 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists tell some of the story, but it was Buzelis’ aggression and surprising facility as an on-ball attacker that opened eyes widest.”

Buzelis also upped his three-point shooting volume and still made an impressive 36.1% of his attempts. “Just scratching the surface of his game, the 6’10” forward has plenty of room to grow into a key role in Chicago. He’ll only be in his age-24 season three years from now,” Hughes concluded. 

The other side of this coin is that Buzelis just doesn’t have a lot of competition. Noa Essengue is still incredibly raw and may or may not pan out. Josh Giddey will probably be re-signed, but it’s not likely that he continues to get better, thereby letting Buzelis pass him.

Coby White may not be around much longer. Trade rumors persist, and he’s a free agent next year anyway. Buzelis, since he does more than just score, might end up better regardless of White’s contract status. Most other Bulls are not up for this conversation or are way too old (Nikola Vucevic) to be considered.