Chicago Bulls big man Matas Buzelis on observers’ lack of expectations for team: “I don’t really care what anybody else thinks.” (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Matas Buzelis is one of the more interesting players entering his second season.
The 6-foot-10 forward garnered fans and attention for his natural athleticism and ability to glide effortlessly at his tall frame. His highlight-worthy dunks garnered a spot in the 2025 NBA Slam Dunk contest in his rookie season.
While the highlights obviously earned him attention from fans and media, it was his play during the second half of the season that was most noteworthy. He showed his versatility and all-around game in multiple impressive single-game performances, including scoring 24 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting in a win over the Miami Heat in February. He also put up a career-high 31 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers a month later, out-dueling both LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Buzelis ended his rookie campaign averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, but his numbers exploded as he gained consistent playing time as the season progressed. During the month of March, Buzelis averaged 13.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while averaging 26.5 minutes per game.
When asked on how he wants to take the next step entering his second season, the Chicago native says he wants to impact winning as much as possible.
“I just want to be able to go out there and trust my skills and impact winning as much as possible,” says Buzelis in a one-on-one interview. “I know what I’m capable of on the court. As soon as I got my opportunity, I didn’t shy away from it. I embrace the struggle. I embraced the struggles that were coming during the season and throughout the preseason and all the training camp stuff. I just want to put my best foot forward and embrace what I can do and what I’m capable of.”
He says the biggest difference between the end of the season compared to the start of the year was the amount of playing time. Buzelis averaged just 5.6 minutes per game during the month of October and and 12.9 minutes per game in the month of November.
During the final month of the season in April, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 27.7 minutes per game.
“The toughest part was not playing in the beginning,” says Buzelis. “When you realize that you can compete with all those guys and you’re not able to play and the coach isn’t playing you. I give props to my coach every day that he didn’t play me and made me earn everything that I got now.
“But I remember just praying to show what I can do,” Buzelis continues to say. “Fortunately for me, I didn’t shy away from it. But it was a struggle at first for me not playing. The growth was just staying ready every day, working hard every day, and waiting for my opportunity to show up for me.”
Matas Buzelis On Observers’ Lack Of Expectations For Bulls: ‘I Don’t Care What Anybody Else Thinks’
As he enters his second season, the expectations will obviously be higher. While the Bulls aren’t exactly pegged as championship contenders, they have several solid young pieces in point guard Josh Giddey and leading scorer Coby White.
Giddey’s stellar play following his acquisition from the Oklahoma City Thunder resulted in him inking a four-year, $100 million deal to return to the Bulls. The former No. 6 overall pick averaged 14.6 points with career highs across the board across the other major categories. Giddey averaged 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Meanwhile, White averaged a career-high 20.4 points on the best efficiency of his six-year career. The 6-foot-4 guard shot 45.3% from the field and 90.2% from the charity stripe last season.
To top it all off, all three pieces fit perfect in head coach Billy Donovan’s fast-paced offensive system. Chicago ranked sixth in points per game and second in pace. The recent success of the Tyrese Haliburton Indiana Pacers – they ranked seventh in points and pace – gives hope that the Bulls can clinch just their second playoff appearance since the start of the 2017-18 season.
The Bulls – who lost their play-in game against the Miami Heat last season after posting a 39-43 record for the second consecutive year – will aim to exceed expectations despite playing in a division that features the reigning conference champions in the Pacers, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks and arguably the best team in the East in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When asked how he would convince detractors on why the Bulls will be a good team this season, Buzelis’s answer is simple – he says he feels he doesn’t have to sell how good Chicago is to anyone.
“I don’t feel like I have to sell anything,” says Buzelis confidently. “To me, my belief in myself will always be strong, and our team will always be stronger than their doubt in us. I don’t really care what anybody else thinks. I know what we’re capable of and I think we can succeed, so the outside noise means nothing to me.”
Matas Buzelis On How Pulsetto FIT Helps With His Recovery And Routine
One of the things that the 21-year-old utilizes as part of his daily routine and recovery is the Pulsetto FIT. The device is used to treat nervous system recovery and well as physical training itself.
Buzelis and multiple other NBA players including Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas also use Pulsetto FIT. He says a big reason why he uses it is to calm himself down after the games because there’s a lot of adrenaline running.
“I started using Pulsetto because it mainly calms you after games,” says Buzelis. “After games you have a lot of adrenaline rushing, so you want to be able to calm down quick and at a rapid pace. Itt helps me calm down and go to bed really quickly after games. It’s great when you’re traveling and you’re staying up later in the night and you want to go to sleep earlier. It stimulates your vagus nerve and it calms you down.”
Buzelis, who is now a company ambassador with Pulsetto, says he started working with the company during the summer and that his dad introduced him to the product.
“I started working with them this summer, but I heard about it (from my father),” says Buzelis. “My father always used it. We weren’t partners, but he always used it. He introduced it to me in the middle of my rookie season, and I started using it then. Fortunately for me, I got to use it and I gained a partner with them this summer, and that’s when I started to really use it.”