Matas Buzelis (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
There’s no doubt that Matas Buzelis is one of the more intriguing young stars in the NBA.
The 6-foot-10 forward is a fan favorite due to his athleticism and his highlight-reel-worthy dunks. The 21-year-old Buzelis already has a reputation in the league, having earned a spot in the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest.
While there’s little doubt that Buzelis is a highlight reel machine, he’s also one heck of a player. The former No. 11 overall draft pick came on towards the end of his rookie season, emerging as one of the Chicago Bulls’ top players. Buzelis averaged 13.4 points per game on 54.8% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc during the month of April. He also showed his all-around game with 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
It’s no coincidence the Bulls went 6-1 in April, all occurring at the same time Buzelis was playing the best ball of his rookie season.
As he enters his second season, Buzelis is an established starter on the team, and he has lofty goals. The Chicago native wants to win the Most Improved Player of the Year award. And although observers don’t have high expectations for the Bulls, Buzelis makes it clear he wants to win a championship.
“Individually, I want to win Most Improved Player,” says Buzelis in a one-on-one interview with RG. “As a team, I want to win a championship — plain and simple. 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.”
Looking up to T-Mac
When asked about the player he looked up to most, Buzelis names a player of a similar frame — Tracy McGrady. McGrady was one of the best scorers in the league at 6-foot-8, leading the NBA in scoring twice and going to the All-Star Game on seven occasions.
“I was a guy who watched a lot of players,” says Buzelis of McGrady. “I like Tracy McGrady. I never was attached to a certain team. I think the younger generation now are fans of our fans of certain players, not teams specifically. I was a guy who watched everyone, and I would steal stuff from everyone. I would try to put everything into the box, I would shake it up and see what I can create. I wasn’t really attached to any certain player.”
The Bulls got their 2025-26 season off to a solid start with a big win over the rising Detroit Pistons. Chicago defeated Detroit, 115-111, with Buzelis making his impact felt in a major way. The 6-foot-10 forward ranked second on the team with 21 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time.
Praise for Giddey
If Chicago is to exceed expectations and clinch just their second playoff berth since the 2017-18 season, they’ll need continued strong play from franchise point guard Josh Giddey. Following his acquisition from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Giddey established himself as one of the top guards in the NBA with his playmaking abilities.
The former No. 6 overall draft pick averaged a career-high 7.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game while showing improved efficiency from beyond the arc, converting on 37.8% of his three-point shots.
The Bulls rewarded Giddey with a four-year, $100 million contract to return to Chicago.
When asked to compare Giddey to a point guard past or present, Buzelis eventually settles on Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson.
“Josh’s IQ is off the charts,” says Buzelis. “He’s amazingly skillful at his height. I can’t compare him to any player. Josh is a 6-foot-8 point guard. You don’t ever see that back in the day.”
“Honestly to have him as a teammate is really special. He’s an amazing player, he works extremely hard, he finds everyone. He includes everyone into the game. Honestly, to compare him to somebody I guess in the past, Magic Johnson.”
Buzelis continues to compliment Giddey even further, saying that the 23-year-old point guard works on his craft “every day.”
“He’s an amazing guy,” Buzelis says of Giddey. “Honestly, he’s so skillful, he works so hard. That’s always something you can respect — when a guy works on his craft every day. Even if it might not show up on the stat book, he’s going to make plays that impact the game.”
An Exciting Young Core
The Bulls display a unique style of play recently made popular by teams such as the Indiana Pacers. Chicago plays a frenetic pace led by their young guys in Buzelis, Giddey and Coby White, who led the team last season with 20.4 points per game. The Bulls ranked sixth in points per game and second in pace.
By comparison, the Pacers ranked seventh in scoring and pace. They advanced to the NBA Finals before falling to the Thunder in seven games. Had Tyrese Haliburton not suffered an injury, Indiana had an opportunity to win the NBA Finals behind that style of play.
Buzelis “absolutely” believes the Bulls can win the championship with that type of frenetic offensive pace.
One of the keys to ensuring that Chicago emerges as a contender is the potential of top pick Noa Essengue. The No. 12 overall pick did not see any action in the season opener, but the 18-year-old has defensive ability, according to Buzelis.
“I’ve seen a lot from him,” says Buzelis of Essengue. “It’s going to be an adjustment period for him at first, just like everyone else who joins the NBA. But he has everything. He’s just going to have to unlock everything. He’ll be fine. His best trait right now is his defense, and that’s the best thing you can have because you can grow your offensive game. If you don’t have instincts on defense, it’s going to be tough. But he’s going to be an amazing player. He works hard too, he’s always in the gym early. Right now, his best trait is his defense, but he’s going to grow into a player that can be really special.”
As Buzelis looks to lead the Bulls back to their glory days, he makes it clear that it means “everything” to him to play for his hometown team.
“No, I didn’t envision it ever happening,” says Buzelis of whether he ever thought he’d play for the Bulls. “By the grace of God, I ended up here, and this means everything to me, being here and representing the Bulls.”
