All eyes on Bulls forward Matas Buzelis as ceiling remains sky-high

He has moonlighted as a special correspondent for the NBA during the Finals, he was the Bulls’ good-luck charm at the draft lottery and this past week he played fashion model, showing off the Michael Jordan-era pinstripes that the team will wear this upcoming season.

Matas Buzelis is everywhere, and it’s becoming more and more obvious that the franchise needs him to become everything.

“He has so much skill in his bag,” executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said at the end of Buzelis’ rookie season. “Shooting threes, blocking shots, running the break, dunking the ball, he’s athletic, he can put it on the floor, create for others, so we’ve seen a lot of it.”

But Karnisovas knows that if his second rebuild is going to have any real legs, the Bulls need to belong to his athletic 20-year-old forward. So far, so good this offseason.

Buzelis got in the weight room right away in the spring, was a force when the team had voluntary workouts in Los Angeles in May, then took to being a secondary ballhandler in Las Vegas, playing in two Summer League games and averaging 22.5 points and five rebounds.

Since Vegas, it has been more weight room and back in the lab to continue developing his game. By all accounts, Buzelis wants to be a special player and is doing what it takes to stay on that track.

“He wants to be coached, he wants to be coached hard and he wants to be accountable,” Karnisovas said.

That was on display throughout 2024-25.

Buzelis began the season fighting for minutes off the bench like they were scraps. Just under five minutes in the season-opening loss in New Orleans, nine minutes against the Bucks, 7:07 against the Thunder, less than three minutes in Memphis, 4:06 against the Magic, then a DNP-coach’s decision in Brooklyn.

It was tough love from coach Billy Donovan, and Buzelis accepted the challenge.

Buzelis watched his November minutes increase to 12.9 per game, was up to 16.5 minutes through December and became a starter by February. The 11th overall pick never looked back. In his 31 starts, Buzelis averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, saving his best for last.

In his last 12 games — including the play-in loss to the Heat — Buzelis averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and shot 53.2% from the field and a team-best 50% from three-point range.

There’s a reason ESPN just listed Buzelis No. 4 on a list of “Most Interesting Sophomores to Watch” heading into the 2025-26 season, nestled behind Zaccharie Risacher, Stephon Castle and Reed Sheppard, but when breaking down those four players, it’s easy to see why Buzelis could be carrying the most pressure and emerge as the top player in the class.

Risacher is still playing second fiddle to Trae Young and Dyson Daniels in Atlanta, Castle could become a reserve with De’Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper in the mix and Sheppard could flash but is still a bit player behind Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun.

Buzelis is the Bulls as of now.

With contract uncertainty still swirling around Coby White and Josh Giddey, there’s no player on the roster more important than Buzelis.

And rightfully so — 6-10 forwards aren’t supposed to have the all-around skills Buzelis boasts. There’s no reason that by the 2026-27 season, Buzelis isn’t leading the Bulls in scoring, field-goal percentage and blocked shots while emerging as the top wing defender/rim protector on the roster.

And the Bulls should also be embracing that Buzelis has the swagger to back his game.

He has gone from soft-talking, awkward rookie in his media sessions to a guy who oozes personality, making that transition quickly.

“He wants to be great,” teammate Ayo Dosunmu said of Buzelis in May.

Karnisovas and the Bulls need him to be.