Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis is expected to make a big leap in his third season. He showed vast improvement in his sophomore year, but he continued to struggle with consistency.

Armed with more experience, Buzelis will be a key factor on both ends for the Bulls, joining Norman Powell, Josh Giddey, Nic Claxton, and Caleb Wilson in leading the core. They will try to end a four-season playoff drought.

The 21-year-old Buzelis, who was the No. 11 pick in 2024, admitted that he struggled last season, appearing to throw shade at former coach Billy Donovan.

“Sometimes, you have to go through stuff in your life to notice that you want better. Last year was extremely hard. There was no type of rhythm. We didn't know who was playing. We didn't know how we were gonna play,” said Buzelis in a video posted by The Athletic's Joel Lorenzi.

“Now, there's gonna be more structure. Everyone's in a role. You know what you're going to get every night.”

Matas Buzelis on his patience as a young player trying to win, the difficulty of last year

“Last year was hard. There was no type of rhythm. We didn’t know who was playing. We didn’t know how we’re gonna play. Now there’s gonna be more structure, everyone’s in a role. You know… pic.twitter.com/5EpneavbZd

— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) October 6, 2026

Last season, Buzelis averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 77 games. The Bulls, however, only won 31 games and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference.

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He added that he has learned to stay patient, sharing his wisdom-filled mindset.

“Everything can't come to you at once. It was hard for me. I speak to a lot of smart, intelligent people, and they tell me that everything comes with time. I know this team is capable of a lot of things, and I know we can get to where we want to get to. It's a process, but all of us are working extremely hard to try to achieve our goals,” added Buzelis.

The Bulls, who are in their first season under coach Tiago Splitter, will start their preseason schedule on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.