Matas Buzelis just had his best game of the season, scoring 21 points in a 124-120 loss to the Washington Wizards. But that shouldn't paper over the fact that, even just three games in, the Chicago Bulls have real reasons to worry about one of their franchise cornerstones.
Undoubtedly, Buzelis is still a critical piece of the team's future; aside from maybe Caleb Wilson, he remains the most critical piece. But it's fair and warranted to point out his struggles across the season's first three contests.
There's plenty of time to make adjustments for both the Bulls and Buzelis. But some things need to be corrected, and the sooner, the better.
Matas Buzelis has struggled through the Bulls' first three games
Again, it's not panic time. But there have been some concerning developments for Buzelis through the first week.
The season opener wasn't great for anyone. Chicago was completely dismantled in a 43-point loss to the Toronto Raptors. Buzelis led the Bulls with 17 points and added six rebounds and a pair of blocks. His 16 free-throw attempts were a great sign.
But the fact that 13 of his 17 points came at the foul line points to how inefficient he was. He only made two shots all night, the first of which came late in the opening quarter. He was 0-for-3 in the second quarter and 0-for-2 in the third. He wasn't just inefficient, he was passive.
Wilson also struggled that night, but Buzelis, in his third season now, shouldn't be taking a back seat to a 19-year-old rookie playing in his first NBA game.
His performance against the Bucks two nights later was even more concerning.
Buzelis played only 17 minutes and scored seven points in a Bulls win. In what must've seemed like a flashback to his early Billy Donovan days, he was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Leonard Miller and Isaac Okoro. Miller finished with 19 points in 24 minutes, and Okoro had 12 points in 27 minutes.
The following night against the Wizards, Chicago held a 62-57 lead at halftime. Buzelis had 10 points and was 3-for-6 from the field. But the third quarter was a Disaster.
While Washington was busy outscoring the Bulls by 20 over those 12 minutes, Buzelis was MIA. In 7 minutes and 40 seconds, he attempted only two shots — even more troubling given that, as Joshua Miranda of Bleacher Nation pointed out, he was being defended by Trae Young for a good chunk of that time.
Buzelis is still young, but he's played 160 NBA games. When the ship is leaking, he needs to be one of the players who plugs the hole. Instead, he was a bystander as Washington made a run that effectively handed his team its second loss in three contests.
Buzelis must rediscover what made him great over his first two seasons
The Chicago native is shooting 36.7 percent from the field and just 13.3 percent from 3-point range through these first three games. He has eight turnovers compared to five assists. His offensive rating of 104 is seventh on the team, just behind Buddy Hield (105) and ahead of Zach Collins (102). His defensive rating of 119 trails Norman Powell.
He's attempted fewer shots than Jalen Smith. (Smith has played well, but he should not be shooting more often than one of the organization's foundational players.) We shouldn't be worried about Miller cutting into Buzelis' playing time. We shouldn't be talking about him being benched for an entire fourth quarter in favor of a 26-year-old journeyman like Okoro.
It's not the poor shooting numbers or the turnovers or the defensive lapses that should worry the Bulls. It's the passivity, the lack of impact, the willingness to take a backseat to others. The competitive fire that put Buzelis on an All-Star trajectory hasn't been there, and that's what should be most concerning.
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