Matas Buzelis was a draft night slider in 2024. Many believed the NBA G League Ignite prospect could land in the top 5. He ended up falling to 11th, getting picked up by the Chicago Bulls.
While Buzelis didn’t have a full-time starting position in Chicago, he appeared in 80 games. He earned a little bit of recognition as a possible Rookie of the Year candidate (7th place), but still has a lot to prove.
Buzelis feels that, and the second-year forward is working on a potential Most Improved Player of the Year run.
“Individually, I want to win Most Improved Player,” Buzelis told Responsible Gaming recently.
During the first week of the 2025-2026 NBA season, Buzelis holds the third-best MIP line, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. At +1200, Buzelis trails Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers and Amen Thomson of the Houston Rockets. He’s next to his teammate, Josh Giddey, who recently locked in a major payday.
Since Buzelis is in his second year, development seems inevitable, which makes his case slightly more difficult than those he is battling with, considering they have several seasons under their belt.
A massive jump shouldn’t be denied if it happens, though. Last season, Buzelis saw the court for 18.9 minutes per game. He averaged 8.6 points, shooting 45 percent from the field and 36 percent from three, taking 3.3 shots from deep per game. In addition to his scoring, Buzelis averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
The Bulls have just one game under their belt so far, but a role increase for Buzelis gave him a major production boost. With 33 minutes of action, the young forward made 58 percent of his shots from the field. He accounted for 21 points, six rebounds, one assist, and three blocks in a Bulls victory over the Detroit Pistons.
While Buzelis has a clear sight set on getting an individual accomplishment, that’s certainly not his priority. The second-year Bulls forward is aiming high for his team’s success as well.
“As a team, I want to win a championship — plain and simple,” he added, via RG. “You should be going for that every year. I don’t care what kind of team you have. You should be striving and having big dreams for every year that you’re in the NBA. That’s what our team is striving for.”
The Bulls are in a tough spot as they fire up the 2025-2026 season. After parting ways with several key players over the last couple of years, it’s clear that they are one of the rebuilding organizations in the Eastern Conference. Still, that hasn’t caused Buzelis to see the situation much differently.
In the week leading up to Chicago’s opener, Buzelis publicly stated he believed the Bulls could shock the NBA this season. While a championship run is highly unlikely, the NBA Play-In Tournament has offered teams like Chicago a chance to enter the backdoor of the postseason as dark-horse candidates. Perhaps, an improved Buzelis is thinking the Bulls could take a notable jump after placing 10th with a 39-43 record last season.
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