Matas Buzelis is the closest thing the Bulls have to a potential superstar; it was on clear display in bursts and flashes last season. But it won't be an improvement in ball handling, playmaking or 3-point shooting that will help him make the Bulls a winning team again -- it will be his desire to become an all-NBA caliber defender.
The freshly paid Josh Giddey is arguably the team's most important player. Head coach Billy Donovan wants to run, run and run some more at every opportunity, and Giddey is his avatar on the floor. Coby White is his most talented scorer. But no player on the roster can touch Buzelis's upside.
And based on his comments during media day, the Chicago native has the intangibles to go along with his elite physical profile.
Matas Buzelis is aiming to make an NBA All-Defense team this season
It's common for young players to discuss what they worked on during the summer (or post a thousand Instagram videos) and how those adjustments will elevate their play in the coming season. Rarely, though, do they make a point of saying they've focused on becoming one of the best defenders in the league, as Buzelis said at the team's media day, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic:
"I’ve been telling the coaching staff I want to be coached as an all-defensive guy. I want to be held accountable. It doesn’t matter if it’s being yelled at in front of everyone. In solitude, in the video room, it doesn’t matter to me."Bulls forward Matas Buzelis
The 20-year-old has the physical tools to become an elite defender. His combination of size (6-foot-10) and explosive leaping ability (38-inch vertical) is rare, and when a thirst to guard is added to the mix, things tend to go well. Those skills were easy to see during Buzelis's rookie season, one in which he led his team in blocked shots.
The Bulls were 28th in points allowed per game and 19th in the NBA in defensive rating last year (114.8). They gave up the most points in the paint (54.0 per game) despite Buzelis averaging nearly a block a night. Nikola Vucevic is a sieve on that end of the floor and just about useless as a rim protector. Chicago needs a massive upgrade in personnel before it can become even an average defensive team.
Despite being only 20, Buzelis is prepared to take on a leadership role in the Windy City. His determination to become one of the best defenders in the league this early should have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster, and even if it's subtle at first, it should lead to some level of team-wide improvement.