Young Bulls Forward Showing Signs of Possible Breakout Season

The Chicago Bulls haven’t had a real star on their roster since Jimmy Butler left. Since then, they’ve meddled in the “middle” of the NBA landscape—not good enough to make real playoff runs and not bad enough to draft and rebuild around a young star.

The Bulls are hoping Matas Buzelis can change this. During his rookie campaign, Buzelis showed tons of promise. He played 80 games, averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and one assist on 36.1% shooting from three-point range.

This preseason, Buzelis has shown signs that he may be taking a huge step up next season. Over his last three games, Buzelis has looked awesome, demonstrating his growing confidence and expanded role.

In those games, Buzelis averaged 19.3 points per game on really efficient shooting. He made 21 of 36 field-goal attempts, including a solid 7 of 18 from beyond the arc, all while playing around 27 minutes per game. This scoring consistency marks a clear leap forward in his offensive production compared to earlier in his career.

The Bulls desperately need Buzelis’ production in the preseason to be a sign of things to come. Their other young players are OK, but none have shown the potential to be a star. You can’t build a franchise around Coby White or Josh Giddey. Can you do it around Buzelis?

It’s impossible to know right now, but after this season, we may have a better idea. If Buzelis does show that promise, the Bulls may need to change the direction of their strategy moving forward.