The Chicago Bulls young forward is one of the best defenders on the team, with real potential to be a special player on defense.
The Chicago Bulls finished last season with a 31-51 record. Despite the unimpressive 37.8% win percentage, the organization had a few things to look forward to. Namely, the progression of young cornerstones Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.
The 23-year old Giddey didn't qualify for the official season leaderboard because he only played 54 games over the course of the 2025-26 season. If he did qualify, the Australian guard would've been third in the league with an impressive 9.1 APG.
Buzelis is 21 years old--turning 22 in October--and is coming off an impressive season in which he finished particularly strong. He averaged 16 PPG, 5 RPG, 2.1 APG and shot 34.9% from 3-point range.
Things trend upwards post-All-Star break, where Buzelis averaged 19 PPG and 6.9 RPG, with similar assist numbers and a slight drop in 3-point percentage. The most impressive aspect of Buzelis' season was the fact the block numbers stayed so steady throughout the season.
The 6-foot-8 Buzelis averaged a career-high 1.5 BPG last season, which was tied for fifth in the league in blocks with Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Buzelis didn't receive anything resembling buzz for an All-Defensive team because:
1. There is room for improvement despite Buzelis being a solid defender.
2. The Bulls were a bad defensive team by all metrics.
Chicago's defense has a solid chance to improve because of the addition of 6-foot-10 forward Caleb Wilson, as well as further integration of players like Leonard Miller (6-foot-10, 220 lbs.), Noa Essengue (grew to 6-foot-11).
I don't feel extremely confident about Buzelis making an All-Defensive team, but I feel better about the idea of Bulls vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham being committed to being a defense-first team following his trade of Rob Dillingham.
The return for Dillingham--which was sharpshooter Buddy Hield--isn't likely to improve the Bulls' defense, but I believe the bigger picture idea was Graham essentially showing he isn't looking to build with small-ish guards. The league as a whole has started to move this way, and the path to minutes is nearly impossible for a plyer of Dillingham's dimensions who is not a knockdown 3-point shooter.
Dillingham was listed a 6-foot-2 and a 175 lbs. Following the trade of Dillingham for Hield (6-foot-4), the Bulls shortest player on the roster is 6-foot-1 Tre Jones, with no other player shorter than 6-foot-3. The length that Splitter can deploy on a game-to-game basis should allow the Bulls to contest more jumpers, or at the least muck things up in the paint for opposing offense.
I say all this to say, total team improvement as a defensive unit is the only way to garner more recognition for Buzelis' impressive shot-blocking and ability to slide his feet and keep up with smaller guards.
It only takes a quick scan of last year's NBA All-Defensive First and Second team to get an idea of where the Bulls would need to finish as unit in terms of defensive efficiency. Last season, out of the 10 players to make All-Defensive teams, Bam Adebayo's Miami Heat defense was the lowest ranked at 14th, with a 113.6 DRtg. Chicago trailed behind with a 117.4 DRtg, good for a ranking of 22nd.
It won't be easy for the Bulls to jump eight or so spots in defensive efficiency, but it is possible. Buzelis collected 75 blocks over 80 games in his rookie season. That figure jumped to 116 blocks over 77 games this past season. Only time will tell, but if Splitter plans on using Wilson to guard primary scorers, there will be even more opportunities for Buzelis to wreak havoc as a weak side defender. If Buzelis stays on his current trajectory, a big leap from the team as a whole in terms of defensive intensity will get him the recognition I believe he deserves.
