The Chicago Bulls might end the 2025-26 season with a similar record as they did the previous few seasons. But they will also leave this year with something they haven't had in a long, long time; a clear centerpiece for the future of the franchise. Matas Buzelis is the clear building block of this team, and finding that foundational piece opens all the other doors of a rebuild.
Josh Giddey has been a wonderful surprise for the Bulls. Coby White's improvements in the past two years deserve praise. Ayo Dosunmu looks like a star sixth man. The other young Bulls are important pieces in a rebuild, too — but Buzelis has quickly proven to be the one player, who, if he reaches his ceiling, can be the guy in Chicago for years to come. The one who leads the team, rather than being a very good complementary piece.
He's not there yet, of course. He's 21 years old, and averaging 14 points per game. But the signs are pretty clear. The shooting, the playmaking, the defensive upside. It's all there for Buzelis, and it's being demonstrated almost nightly in his sophomore season. If all of his traits are maxed out, there's an obvious All-Star in there.
Matas Buzelis has the highest ceiling among the Chicago Bulls' core
It wont be a direct jump to superstardom. Buzelis isn't going to be an All-NBA player next season, and it will take some patience from the franchise and the fanbase as he works his way from promising talent to everyday star. For now, if he can stick around 15 points per game on average efficiency all season long (with the occasional 25-point pop every once in a while), that's a good jump forward.
The next step is letting him work through the mistakes. Bulls coach Billy Donovan seems to have less patience with Buzelis than anyone else, and that's been frustrating for Bulls fans who want their young star to work through the mistakes. That's the quickest way to get better.
If you want the optimist's view of that predicament, may I venture that Billy Donovan is the hardest on Buzelis because he understands how good the 6-foot-8 forward can be? Yeah, let's go with that.
Fans have already bought in on Buzelis as the future face of the franchise, and he is playing like he wants to oblige them. No matter what happens from now until April, the Bulls have already accomplished something important this season by finding the player who can be the building block for the next era.