NBA 2k26 Summer League is officially upon us. After an abbreviated taste of action between the California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer League, all 30 teams will compete in the Las Vegas iteration of the exhibition season.
The Chicago Bulls' Summer League squad will begin play on July 11 at 7:00 p.m. CT against the Toronto Raptors. Fans will get their first glimpse of 12th overall pick Noa Essengue, who will coincidentally battle one of the Bulls' 2025 draft cycle targets—9th overall selection Collin Murray-Boyles.
Several familiar faces, including 2024 11th-overall pick Matas Buzelis, will join Essengue in Las Vegas. Despite the strong finish to his rookie season, Buzelis' inclusion isn't all that surprising. The 20-year-old came on in the latter half of the 2024-25 campaign, starting the final 31 games of the season.
Prior to taking on a starting role, Buzelis averaged merely 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. Following taking over a starting position on the wing, Buzelis' averages skyrocketed to 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 26.7 minutes en route to earning All-Rookie honors.
Buzelis is arguably the Bulls' most-prized prospect moving forward, even more so than Josh Giddey, who is somehow only 22. Buzelis is a two-way wing who profiles as a foundational building block due to his combination of shot-making and defensive playmaking.
Buzelis' summer league appearances will be limited
With that being said, the Bulls are treating Buzelis as such—a franchise cornerstone. In an article written by Kalen Lumpkins of the Chicago Tribune highlighting Chicago's second-round pick, Lachlan Olbrich, and the Bulls' Summer League team in general, Lumpkins offered insight into Buzelis' summer workload.
Lumpkins wrote, "After finishing last season as a starter for the Bulls, Buzelis will at most play two games during the summer league. If it was up to him, the forward would play every single game of the tournament, but he isn’t going to fight the front office for more minutes."
The quote mentioned above is a double-edged sword for Bulls fans. Hearing that Buzelis will only briefly be featured during the summer league is disappointing. Yet, it's encouraging to be reminded of Buzelis' competitive spirit, considering he'd play in every game if it were up to him.
All in all, it'll be enjoyable to get a glimpse of Buzelis and Essengue sharing the floor in a sped-up, mistake-encouraged environment such as the summer league. The duo is an awe-inspiring combination of length at the forward spot, sure to bring plenty of energy and defensive playmaking.