As sad as it sounds, there isn’t much to get excited about on the Chicago Bulls roster. Sure, Josh Giddey has been a revelation, and shipping defensive stalwart Alex Caruso out for him was the right move. Coby White is a fun player—when he’s not dealing with persistent injuries. And every so often, someone flashes as a potential long-term keeper (hello, Ayo Dosunmu). But when you zoom out, the Bulls’ hopes rest with one player alone: Matas Buzelis.
The 21-year-old is, by far and away, Chicago’s best prospect. Josh Giddey is still improving his game, and he’s still only 23 despite already logging 310 career games, but Buzelis exists on a different spectrum as a prospect. A tremendous athlete at 6-foot-8 and roughly 200 pounds (NBA.com lists him at 209, which I’m skeptical of), Buzelis can already do a little bit of everything—within reason.
Buzelis is averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.7 made threes per game this season, shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from deep. And, oh yeah, he’s appeared in every game this season.
The Matas Buzelis breakout has arrived
Perhaps most importantly, without Giddey in the lineup, and with White available for just one game, Buzelis has averaged 21.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in January, while converting 49.1 percent of his field goals and 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts. After a relatively lackluster November, he’s once again flashing the traits of a legitimate franchise cornerstone.
Despite the Bulls being a largely ho-hum team, currently 10th in the Eastern Conference at 17–20, Buzelis continues to grab attention. While running through his Power Rankings after Chicago’s ugly January 5 loss to the Boston Celtics, NBA aficionado Bill Simmons largely brushed off the Bulls as a whole but made a point to single out Buzelis, saying, “Buzelis, I really like. I think he’s competitive. I think there’s something potentially special with him.”
It’s deserved recognition for a Bulls team that rarely commands national attention, but Simmons’ emphasis on Buzelis’ competitiveness is especially telling. Chicago is in desperate need of an infusion of grittiness, and few players are better suited to provide it than the soon-to-be face of the franchise. At 21, Buzelis is affable yet dangerous. He's the type of player you can build around, not only on the court, but off it as well.
Buzelis gives Bulls fans a real reason for optimism, and Simmons doubling down on him as a prospect only amplifies that excitement.