This isn’t where forward Matas Buzelis wanted to be entering the third season of his NBA career.
It’s not where he wanted to be as a rookie, and it was obviously not where he wanted to be last season. That was evident by his body language at times late in the season.
In a Bulls jersey? He loves that.
Near the basement of the standings since being selected No. 11 in the 2024 draft? No.
That’s why the day before the Bulls’ preseason tips off Wednesday was a good time for a wellness check on Buzelis.
‘‘Yeah, just practicing patience,’’ Buzelis said when he was reminded of all of his focus on winning when he first joined the franchise. ‘‘Everything can’t come to you at once.’’
Asked whether that has been difficult for him, Buzelis replied: ‘‘It was hard for me. But I speak to a lot of people — a lot of smart, intelligent people — and they tell me everything comes with time. This team is capable of a lot of things, and I know we’ll get to where we want to get to. It’s a process, but all of us are working extremely hard to try and achieve our goals.’’
That was a much different tone than the one Buzelis struck late last season, especially in the wake of the Bulls’ roster purge at the trade deadline, then through the uncertainty hovering over the old front office and coaching staff. Buzelis sounded down after games, searching for a glimmer of hope.
‘‘It was hard for me,’’ Buzelis admitted. ‘‘Last year was hard. Sometimes you’ve got to go through stuff in your life to notice that you want better.
‘‘Last year was very hard. There was no type of rhythm. We didn’t know who was playing; we didn’t know how we were going to play. Now there’s more structure. Everyone is in a role, and you know what you’re going to get every night.
‘‘You’ve gotta go through stuff, and that builds you as a person.’’
That’s all well and good, but the Bulls can go through a season of positive vibes and still finish in the same neighborhood in the standings they did in the previous few years.
The new front office has stressed patience and has called this a ‘‘rebuild,’’ which would contradict what Buzelis has demanded from himself since joining the organization.
But that’s for people above his pay grade to worry about, as far as he’s concerned.
‘‘We have a special group,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘It will take time, but I don’t focus on the long term. We have a game [against the Suns on Wednesday], and we’re looking to win.’’
So has Buzelis had to change his mentality a bit? Maybe. But he’s also nearly 22 years old now, not a wide-eyed 19-year-old. And new the front office, led by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, has made that process easier for him.
The Bulls’ roster also is structured way differently. Last year at this time, then-executive Arturas Karnisovas thought it would be just fine to start the season with eight lame-duck players on expiring contracts and as the topic of trade rumors.
Graham has pieces to move if he wants to play that game, but they are all veterans who understand the business of basketball.
‘‘There’s more structure [this season], but I [also] would say the drills we do, everything is more focused, more intense, so that’s where I mix in that word ‘structure,’ ’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘It’s a little more strict. It’s also new faces. Everyone wants to show up, everyone wants to compete, and that’s kind of where I was headed [with the ‘strict’ comment].’’