Matas Buzelis Opens Up About Bulls' Rebuild Challenges, Desire to Win

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis wants to win. That desire has existed since he was drafted by his hometown team in 2024, and it remains with him as he enters his third NBA season.

However, that internal drive and motivation are at odds with the franchise's timeline. After trading away several veteran players last season, cleaning house in the front office and parting ways with head coach Billy Donovan, the Bulls are now fully committed to a rebuild.

That may be better for Chicago in the long term, but it means Buzelis and the Bulls probably won't win many games or be competing to reach the playoffs for the foreseeable future.

Buzelis said on Tuesday that the situation has been all about practicing patience.

"It was hard for me," Buzelis said following Tuesday's training camp practice. "I speak to a lot of people, a lot of smart, intelligent people, and they tell me everything comes with time. I know that this team is capable of a lot of things, and I know we'll get to where we want to get to. It's all a process, but all of us are working extremely hard to try to achieve our goals."

Buzelis averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 blocks per game as a rookie in 2024-25, when the Bulls went 39-43 and lost to the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. His production increased across the board last season, as he made 77 starts and averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. However, Chicago earned just a 31-51 record and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference.

It's incredibly likely that Buzelis' play takes another leap forward in year three, but the Bulls' record takes another step back. That's not any fault of his own, though. Since Buzelis was drafted, Chicago has traded away players like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu — all players who contributed to wins during their time with the Bulls.

At the 2026 trade deadline alone, the Bulls made seven different deals. That led to a constant reshuffling of lineups, rotations and teammates over the back half of last season, which was difficult for the few players who remained.

After peeking above .500 with a 23-22 record on Jan. 24, Chicago finished last season by losing 29 of its remaining 37 games.

"Sometimes, you've got to go through stuff in your life to notice that you want better," Buzelis said. "Last year was extremely hard. There was no type of rhythm. We didn't know who was playing. We didn't know how we were gonna play. Now, there's going to be more structure. Everyone's in a role, and you know what you're gonna get every night."

The Bulls are set to begin their 2026-27 preseason slate on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, and later, their regular season on Oct. 21 against the Toronto Raptors. Buzelis, who turns 22 on Oct. 13, is already tied with Josh Giddey for the second-longest-tenured player on the roster and is hoping to develop into more of a leader during his third season.

It may not lead to more wins this year, but Buzelis knows that there is a plan in place and he's committed to taking everything else day-by-day.