Young Bulls Star Flatly Rejects Tanking Accusations After Chicago Drops 10th Straight Game

The Bulls defeated the Heat 125–119 back on Jan. 31, pushing their record to 24–25. Chicago was in ninth-place in the Eastern Conference after the win, four games back of the 76ers in the loss column for the final non-play-in tournament spot, and three games clear of the Hornets for 11th place—the first spot out of the postseason.

The Bulls haven’t won since.

Chicago has rattled off 10 consecutive losses, dropping games to the Heat, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks, the Raptors, Nets and those same Hornets, who have surged past the Bulls and now occupy the No. 10 seed.

Chicago’s early February moves at the trade deadline signaled that after years in the middle, the Bulls are ready to bottom out and rebuild; Chicago has finished between sixth and 11th in the Eastern Conference every year since 2019. The franchise last picked higher than 11th in the NBA draft in 2020, when they took Patrick Williams with the No. 4 pick.

NBA Tank Tracker: Where Each Draft Lottery Team Stands in Race to the Bottom

And yet, it is very difficult to convince players on the floor of the tenants of tanking, as is evidenced by burgeoning young forward Matas Buzelis’s exasperated reaction to the Bulls’ latest loss. (Around the 25-minute mark below).

Buzelis, who is experiencing a breakout second NBA season despite the team’s struggles, specifically hates the concept of tanking, and rejected the idea that coach Billy Donovan’s staff or the players on the floor are doing anything other than trying to win.

“I don’t really believe in stuff like that,” Buzelis said. “Every time I step out to do something competitive, I’m trying to win. All the guys are trying to win. Billy’s trying to win. Billy is harping on us that we’re gonna go out and compete every night. Win, lose, draw, we’re gonna also get up the next day and work.

“I don’t really like that word. And people might think that [we’re tanking], but I’m going out and trying to win every night. All these guys are, too.”

The Bulls roster was completely overhauled at the trade deadline

The roster around Buzelis changed dramatically at the deadline, with Chicago dealing a number of veteran players and adding a slew of young guards.

More: Recapping Every Move on the NBA Trade Deadline

The full list of Bulls deals:

Bulls trade center Nikola Vučević to Celtics for guard Anfernee Simons, second-round pick swap.
Bulls trade guard Kevin Huerter and forward Dario Šarić to Pistons for guard Jaden Ivey as part of three-team deal with Timberwolves
Bulls trade guards Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to Hornets for guard Collin Sexton, forward Ousmane Dieng, two second-round picks.
Bulls trade forward Dalen Terry to Knicks for forward Guerschon Yabusele, cash
Bulls trade guard Ayo Dosunmu and forward Julian Phillips to Timberwolves for guard Rob Dillingham, forward Leonard Miller, four second-round picks
Bulls trade forward Ousmane Dieng to Bucks for center Nick Richards

Vučević, White and Dosunmu were three of the top seven Chicago players in minutes per game before the deadline.

The Bulls got younger and some of the pieces acquired may make more sense for the future, of which Buzelis is expected to be a significant part. But it certainly hasn’t been easy on the 21-year-old forward.

“When you trade half the team and you bring in new guys, it’s tough,” Buzelis said after Wednesday’s game. “It’s no excuse, though. We gotta come in and figure it out. And I’ma say it again: I know we’re capable of doing that.”

Matas Buzelis’s season has been a bright spot for the Bulls

On the season, Buzelis is averaging 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, shooting .474/.367/.778 on the season. That is up from the 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds he averaged in 2024–25. Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft, finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting and was a Second-Team All-Rookie selection.

Since the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Buzelis is averaging 17.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. As you can see those stats that are up across the board, and his shooting percentages from the floor are as well. His eFG% of .587 is higher than his season number of .565, despite less help on the roster.

While the losing streak and the active trade deadline have likely taken a toll on Buzelis and the rest of the young Bulls, it certainly isn’t showing with his individual play.

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