The Chicago Bulls have lost 11 consecutive games — great for lottery odds, but torturous for a player like Matas Buzelis. The second-year forward has made something abundantly clear during this skid: He won't — he can't — accept losing.
The Bulls' most recent defeat, a 121-112 subduing at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers, means that Chicago will end the month of February without a win. The 11-game slide is tied for the third-longest losing streak in franchise history.
Players have no appetite for tanking. While coaches can understand the concept, they surely don't feel great about losing either. It’s front offices that set teams up to fail by design.
Bulls' executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has begrudingly done that, even if it's overdue.
But Buzelis is too intensely competitive to stomach it, and that's precisely what the organization needs if it hopes to move from perennial play-in participant to championship threat.
Matas Buzelis's hatred for losing makes him the ideal star for the Bulls
Even before his team's 11th straight defeat, Buzelis made it clear that all this losing isn't in his DNA. It's something the 21-year-old is genuinely struggling to come to terms with. The Bulls have known this about Buzelis all along, but his emotional reaction to this tumble proves exactly why he's the right player — and person — to push Chicago forward.
"I wanna win games, and that’s what everything is all about," Buzelis said per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (subscription required). "I don’t really believe in stuff like [tanking]. Every time I step out to do something competitive, I’m trying to win ... I don’t really like that word. And people might think that [we’re tanking], but I’m going out and trying to win every night."
The Chicago native is already cemented as a franchise cornerstone. Despite the losses piling up, he's showing why.
Buzelis scored 32 points, added seven rebounds and attempted nine free throws against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 24. He shot 13-for-19 from the field and 6-for-11 from three.
Two nights later against Portland, he finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Tanking is still the right decision for the Bulls
Chicago hasn't won a game since the trade deadline when Karnisovas sent away Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic, Buzelis' most reliable teammates. Seven new players, an imbalanced roster and several injuries have made it impossible for head coach Billy Donovan to find the right rotations.
But just because it pains Buzelis doesn't mean this isn't the correct move for the franchise.
The Bulls needed the reset Karnisovas handed them. While losing 11 straight maybe isn't the ideal outcome, dropping a ton of games over the next six weeks should be the plan.
Chicago desperately needs a superstar, and the best way to find one is by forcing Buzelis to learn how to lose ... while sleeping soundly knowing that it's only pushing him harder.