Why Year Three Is A Pivotal Year For Bulls Forward Matas Buzelis

For most rebuilding teams, development is the priority. For the Chicago Bulls, that means identifying which young players can eventually become the foundation of a winning team. While there are several intriguing pieces on the roster, no player enters the 2026-27 season with more to prove than Matas Buzelis.

There is no denying what Buzelis has already accomplished through his first two NBA seasons. After earning a starting role during his rookie campaign, the former first-round pick averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 47% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Those numbers were encouraging for a young player still learning the speed and physicality of the NBA.

His sophomore campaign brought another step forward, but perhaps not the leap many Bulls fans were hoping to see. Buzelis finished the year averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 46% from the field and 35% from three-point range.

On paper, those improvements are real. Across the board, his counting stats increased. The problem is that they increased only marginally, while his efficiency remained virtually unchanged. He became a better player, but not dramatically better.

Those numbers describe a quality NBA starter. They are the type of production every team would happily take from a complementary forward. They are not, however, the numbers typically associated with a franchise cornerstone or even the second or third offensive option on a legitimate playoff contender.

That is why this upcoming season feels so important.

Around the league, Year 3 is often viewed as the season where talented young players truly establish who they are. The first year is spent adjusting to the speed of the NBA. The second is about becoming comfortable. By the third season, many players have a much better understanding of where they can score, what skills they need to refine and what level of preparation is required to consistently succeed. It is often the year where potential turns into production.

The Bulls know as well as anyone how pivotal that third season can be.

Bulls fans have seen a situation like this before with Lauri Markkanen. After showing steady progress through his first two seasons, Markkanen appeared to be trending toward becoming one of the franchise's long-term building blocks. Instead, his third year brought a step backward. His production dipped, his confidence seemed to waver and questions began to surface about whether he could ever become the player Chicago envisioned when it drafted him. Following underwhelming third and fourth seasons, the Bulls ultimately traded Markkanen to the Utah Jazz, where he later blossomed into an All-Star. Whether that was because of a new environment, a larger offensive role or simply a later development curve is up for debate, but it serves as a reminder that Year 3 can be a defining point in a young player's career.

For Buzelis, the Bulls are hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

The physical tools have never been in question. At 6-foot-10, Buzelis possesses the size, athleticism and versatility to impact both ends of the floor. He has shown flashes of shot creation, rim protection and defensive versatility that very few players his size possess. Now, the challenge is turning those flashes into consistent production every night.

Can he become a more efficient scorer? Can he consistently create offense when defenses key in on him? Can he evolve from a promising young starter into the player opposing teams have to game plan for? Those are the questions that will define his third season.

Fortunately for Buzelis, the opportunity is there.

A new coaching staff and front office are looking to bring new life to a franchise that has been treading water for a decade. Chicago's roster is loaded with young talent, giving someone the chance to emerge as the leader of the franchise's next era. Buzelis has never shied away from those expectations. In fact, he has embraced them. He has talked openly about wanting the city on his shoulders and becoming the face of Bulls basketball.

Now comes the hard part.

Talking about carrying a franchise is easy. Becoming the player capable of doing it is something entirely different.

Year three presents Buzelis with his biggest opportunity yet. If he makes the leap so many young stars do during their third NBA season, the Bulls could finally have the foundational piece they have been searching for. If his production plateaus, Chicago may have to reevaluate what his ceiling truly is.

The talent is undeniable. The expectations are growing. The opportunity is right in front of him.

Now it is up to Matas Buzelis to prove that he is ready to carry the weight he has always said he wanted.