There was quite a bit of hype behind young Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis as he entered his second season. Bulls fans perhaps expected too much too soon in terms of All-Star-like impact from the 21-year old forward, but he has met reasonable expectations so far. 

First, durability must be mentioned amid a season in which the Bulls have suffered quite a few injuries. Buzelis is the only player on the Bulls who has played in all 42 games this season, and is second on the team in minutes behind Nikola Vucevic. But while availability is the best ability, it may be the shot blocking, or the showtime dunks that stand out as the signature skills for the young Buzelis.

Matas Buzelis needed to take steps this year towards being the star player the Bulls will eventually need him to be. And while there has been some bumps along the way offensively, things are definitely trending in the right direction. He is carrying a 20% usage rate, showing that he is handling a decent offensive workload, especially as compared to his rookie season where he was an afterthought.

Through 42 games, Buzelis is getting to the rim more, taking 47% of his FGAs at the rim this season, a 6% increase from his rookie year per Cleaning The Glass. The problem being, his finishing isn't anywhere near where it needs to be. Buzelis is shooting 62% at the rim, a below average mark for a forward, especially one with his type of athleticism. 

Buzelis may not be finishing well at the rim, but he is essentially shooting well from everywhere else on the floor. His 45% on midrange shots in the 82nd percentile for forwards, and he is shooting the second most 3-point attempts on the team at 5.1 per game, although his accuracy has fallen. He shot 36% from 3-point range his rookie year. Billy Donovan wants Buzelis to focus on getting to all the way to the rim strong, or taking in rhythm 3-pointers, much to the chagrin of Bulls fans who would love to see Buzelis have freedom to fire away from everywhere on the floor. 

Simply put, Matas Buzelis is the only difference maker on the current Bulls defensive unit. Per Cleaning The Glass, the Bulls defense is 5.7 better with Buzelis on the floor vs. when he is off, which ranks in the 87th percentile among forwards. In layman's terms, the Bulls defense is a lot better when Buzelis is on the floor. 

The reason the Bulls defense is so much better with Buzelis out there is the lanky forward is an elite shot blocker for his position, doesn't get bullied easily on the glass, and doesn't give up a ton of free throw attempts, as he gets his (occasional) fouling issues under control. Buzelis is averaging a team-leading 1.4 blocks per game, and is acting as the team's best rim protector as a 21-year old, perimeter-oriented wing. 

Billy Donovan has talked about not putting Buzelis in a box as a player, and his ability to be a real deterrent at the rim while also stopping drives on the perimeter makes him a legit defensive-building block for the franchise. 

Previous player reviews: 

Nikola Vucevic: C-