A Star in the Making? Matas Buzelis Joins Rare Bulls Air with Career High Outburst

You could see Matas Buzelis' performance coming.

The door swung wide open for the second-year forward after the Chicago Bulls' explosive trade deadline. While he was already viewed as a core piece of this team's future, the front office's decision to move on from roughly half the roster only underscored their belief in who Buzelis could become. To be sure, there have been some up-and-down nights since, but shouldn't that be expected with a 21-year-old?

Overall, it's hard to declare Buzelis' last month anything other than an overwhelming success. He has looked increasingly comfortable serving as a main offensive hub, offering the mix of on-and-off ball scoring that made him such a tantalizing prospect. Likewise, he has continued to show real growth on the defensive end. Not only has it been significantly better when stuck on an island, but he is only four blocks away from reaching the 100-block threshold.

Heading into the Bulls' meeting with the Golden State Warriors, Buzelis had scored 20+ points in four of his last five games. One of those performances was a 32-point effort, which saw him shoot a highly effective 13-19 from the field with six made triples. Win-loss column aside, the games served as an example of Buzelis taking a step forward in real time. And it all led to that huge outing at the Chase Center.

Buzelis dropped a career-high 41 points in the Bulls' OT victory over the Warriors. He shot 16-28 from the field in the process, adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Fans watched him fly past defenders along the perimeter, finish through traffic in the paint, cut hard for a pair of emphatic slams, perfectly nail a eurostep in transition, and sink a dagger stepback three in extra time. He went a nearly perfect 10-12 in the paint and scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and OT to play the role of closer.

Look, some wins may feel counterintuitive during this time of year for the Bulls, but not that one. Buzelis represents the player with the most star potential on this current roster. A game like that serves as a needed reminder, as well as another clear example of the real-time strides he's making. Even if it comes at the expense of lottery odds, you take that.

Speaking of that star potential, Buzelis' performance put him in a very rare category. The Bulls have only ever seen three players drop 40+ points at the age of 21 or younger, per Bulls PR. One is considered by many to be the GOAT – aka Michael Jordan. One is a former No. 1 overall pick and multi-time All-Star – aka Elton Brand. And one is the former No. 11 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.

You don't just happen to end up in the same conversation as those two players. Does that mean Buzelis is destined to become an All-Star or make an All-NBA team in the near future? Of course not, but it's another accomplishment that pushes both the bar and ceiling higher. You can't ask for much more than that in Year 2.

Let's see if he can keep the positive momentum going against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. For what it's worth, the last time he was in Crypto.com Arena, Buzelis had the first 30-piece of his career. Time to make it 50?

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news