Less than a year ago, Matas Buzelis was a raw, promising rookie still trying to find his footing in the NBA. Now, on the eve of his sophomore season, he looks like a player ready to make the leap.
After an uneven debut campaign marked by flashes of brilliance and bouts of inconsistency, the 21-year-old Lithuanian-American forward has turned heads throughout the 2025 preseason, offering the clearest glimpse yet of his star potential.
Buzelis has been one of Chicago’s standout performers this October, averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game in just 23 minutes while shooting an impressive 39.1 percent from three-point range on 5.8 attempts.
He’s done so with poise and efficiency, highlighted by a 20-point, five-block performance against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 14, along with 19-point outings versus the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
His improved shot selection, defensive timing and overall confidence have stood out as much as the numbers themselves.
Matas Buzelis is ready to cook this season. pic.twitter.com/GuMl53l0J0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 15, 2025
"[I've known] him since he was like seven, eight years old. He's humble, always in the gym, working, dedicating his whole time to getting better," Denver center Jonas Valanciunas said of Buzelis. "I think he's very talented, and if he's going to keep working like this, he's going to be one of the greatest."
It’s a stark contrast from last season, when Buzelis’s rookie year was a rollercoaster. Drafted 11th overall in 2024, he averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds while enduring the typical growing pains of a first-year player.
There were spectacular moments, including a career-high 31-point performance in a blowout win against the Lakers in March and a perfect 10-for-10 outing against the Miami Heat a month earlier, but most games were interspersed with turnovers, defensive lapses and stretches of passivity.
Early in the season, his minutes and impact fluctuated as he adjusted to NBA speed and physicality, leading to multiple assignments with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.
Yet as the year progressed, and particularly through this preseason, those lessons appear to have taken hold. Buzelis looks stronger, more decisive and far more comfortable within Billy Donovan’s system.
His ability to protect the rim, switch defensively and knock down shots in rhythm has given Donovan a versatile two-way weapon who fits seamlessly alongside Coby White and Josh Giddey.
Perhaps most encouraging for the Bulls is how naturally Buzelis’s confidence has translated into leadership. He’s attacking closeouts, embracing physicality and showing a willingness to take big shots, signs of a young player who finally believes he belongs.
For a Chicago team searching for its next homegrown star, Buzelis represents both hope and direction. His growth from raw prospect to reliable contributor mirrors the patient rebuild the Bulls have embraced.
The flashes of last season have evolved into sustained production, and if his preseason form carries over, Buzelis could be one of the breakout stories of the 2025–26 campaign, the kind of player capable of changing not only his own narrative but the Bulls’ trajectory as they aim to push past the 40-win mark and back into playoff contention for the first time since 2022.
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