If you asked Matas Buzelis how his rookie season for the Chicago Bulls was going to turn out, he’d likely tell you he expects to start, make a big impact right away and win Rookie of the Year.
Whether any of that is realistic is another story, as Buzelis will have some challenges to early minutes even though the Bulls used the 11th pick in the 2024 draft on him and see Buzelis as a part of their future core.
What can fans realistically expect from Buzelis in his first season in the league?
The Chicago Bulls starting lineup, rotation and Matas Buzelis
If the Bulls enter the season with their current roster, it’s likely they start three guards with Josh Giddey, Coby White and Zach LaVine, at least initially.
If Nikola Vucevic is at center, that leaves just power forward up for grabs in the starting five. Given his experience, and the fact that the Bulls just overpaid for his services, Patrick Williams will likely get the first crack.
That leaves Buzelis coming off the bench, but given that he can play either forward spot depending on the matchup, there should be plenty of minutes for him.
The Bulls are thin at forward, so Buzelis is going to get his run whether he starts or not.
Can Matas Buzelis overtake Patrick Williams on the Bulls depth chart?
The Bulls have $90 million reasons to hope Patrick Williams turns into a starting caliber forward, but as of right now, he’s not.
The only area where Williams has a distinct advantage over Buzelis is long-range shooting, as PWill has hit over 40 percent of his 3-point shots for his career and Buzelis’ shot is a work in progress.
Buzelis is a better creator with the ball and projects to be a good defender, so he has an argument over Williams right away. However, Buzelis may be better suited to have a larger role with the second unit given his playmaking and ballhandling ability, as there are already three ball-dominant guards in the expected starting five, which suits Williams, who is nothing more than a spot-up shooter at this point.
Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams playing together
If the Bulls eventually trade Zach LaVine, then we could see both Buzelis and Williams in the starting five.
There are questions whether either of them can stay in front of quicker wings, but against certain teams, the Bulls could go big and run the two of them together. Given their size, shooting, playmaking and defense, the two make for an interesting duo at forward.
Realistically, Buzelis is going to be the second man off the Bulls’ bench to start the season but it’s easy to see paths for him to play his way into the starting lineup by the end of it, especially if the Bulls make a trade or two.
The rest is up to Buzelis, as he has more upside than any forward on the roster, but has to go out and prove it.