Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis shed’s light on recent struggles, makes promise to fans

Last night, the Chicago Bulls lost their fifth straight game, bringing them to 1-6 as the new season began.

They fell short to the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-107. Rookie Caleb Wilson looked great once again, but it wasn’t enough, as it has so often been lately. He scored 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, proving that he may be the best player on this team right now.

The same isn’t true for his running mate, Mataz Buzelis. The third-year forward was projected to make a major leap this season, but has struggled in Tiago Splitter’s system. He had another poor game in last night’s loss, scoring five points on 2-of-5 shooting. Some think he’s looked more passive thus far, as many wondered how he and Wilson would mesh.

Buzelis was asked about his rough start and told fans they need to be patient, and he promised he’d figure it out.

Buzelis: “If you guys can recall, every one of my beginning of my seasons were tough. New guys coming in, this year it’s even harder. There are challenges all the time. But I can achieve anything I want. I worked extremely hard this summer. I promise you I’ll figure it out.” https://t.co/tdoSxt7bS6

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 3, 2026

Buzelis is clearly just as frustrated as fans are. It’s a long season, and he’s right; he has struggled at the beginning of his previous two.  It may be best to give him time.

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis must figure it out, and quickly

The tough part about the Matas Buzelis experiment is his similar playing style to Caleb Wilson. Both are long wings who bring the same skill set to the table, and Buzelis has clearly felt the effect of Wilson taking so many shots.

However, Buzelis needs to be more aggressive on offense. During the offseason, Buzelis mentioned he wanted to get in the paint more, but he has failed to do so. Last night, he had more turnovers (5) than points (4). It’ll be interesting to see how the front office and staff approach this situation, as his value continues to dip.

Could Buzelis get benched? If his play continues to be this poor, it’s certainly a question that’ll be raised. With the NBA Draft lottery rules changing, the Bulls can’t afford to just tank it out.

Even though it was supposed to be a developmental year, the development aspect hasn’t exactly been there. Josh Giddey has also played very poorly, and Norman Powell will likely be traded as the deadline approaches. Splitter may end up making a move.

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