The Chicago Bulls have budding potential but are still in a critical developmental stage. On Monday, they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 126-107. As a result, Chicago is 1-6.
The growing pains of a new roster, new coach, and new dynamic are affecting Matas Buzelis in a unique way. The third-year explosive forward has been used to the system run by Billy Donovan and being a focal point of the offense. However, he is now under Tiago Splitter's tutelage and has to share the ball with players like Caleb Wilson.
After the game, Buzelis was extremely candid about this adjustment period, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Essentially, Buzelis cited his first two seasons, when he struggled at the outset, but pointed out the difference in this year's dynamic.
“If you guys can recall, every one of my beginning of my seasons, first and second, they were tough,” Buzelis said. “It was difficult. New guys coming in…this year, it's even harder.
That said, Buzelis offered words of encouragement.
“As I keep saying, it’s a process. I promise you I'll figure it out.”
Article Continues BelowMatas Buzelis said postgame that he just “didn’t bring it” tonight and needs to get into a flow. Asked him what he’s done before to get it back
“If you guys can recall, every one of my beginning of my seasons, first and second, they were tough. It was difficult. New guys coming… pic.twitter.com/rkdU5Luose
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) November 3, 2026
On Monday, Buzelis finished the game with only 4 points and 3 rebounds. So far, he is averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the field.
For comparisons sake, Buzelis averaged only 2.9 points per game in the first seven games of his 2024-25 rookie season as he primarly came off the bench. Last year, Buzelis was placed in the starting rotation and averaged 14.9 points per game through his first seven starts.