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Matas Buzelis found motivation through Derrick Rose

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Zack Pearson | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 4:44 PM ET

The Chicago Bulls are ushering in a rebuild through the moves they made at the NBA Trade Deadline. With Chicago going in that direction, they still have two pieces to build around in Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.

Both are young enough to be key pieces in a rebuild and while it’s hard to potentially find motivation in a season like this, that’s not the case for this duo.

Specifically for Buzelis, he was named to the NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge and helped lead Team Vince to a win in that challenge. But he’s pointing to another Chicago legend and the moment he had as motivation.

How Matas Buzelis is using Derrick Rose for motivation

This season, the Bulls honored former MVP Derrick Rose by retiring his number 1. The banner will now hang in the rafters of the United Center forever and for Buzelis, it was a special night in more than one way.

Buzelis grew up a Bulls fan and now playing for his hometown team, he got to enjoy that special moment. It also provided him motivation.

“Honestly, I’m big into visualization,” Buzelis said. “That’s something that I see and I want to achieve that. Especially in Chicago, being hung next to Michael Jordan, it’s an honor to do that. That’s something that I see and it put more motivation into my mind.”

The forward had a good start to his second season and still has a lot to prove. He’s flashed his potential and the thing to remember is that he’s just 21-years-old, so there’s a lot of room to grow. It’s also cool to see that he understands how important that night was for the organization.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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