Whether it be an Eastern Conference Player of the Month award or a game-winning half-court buzzer-beater, I think it’s safe to say Coby White and Josh Giddey stole the show in March. The two guards played some of the best basketball of their careers, and their efforts helped the Bulls put together a stretch where they won nine of eleven games.
While they stood under the spotlight, however, another high-upside youngster was waiting in the wings. Matas Buzelis’ recent play shouldn’t be cast aside. The rookie had his own strong March, so much so that he received votes for the Rookie of the Month award. The 20-year-old may not have been as consistent as his teammates, but he stood out with a couple of career-best moments of his own.
Buzelis scored a career-high 31 points against the Lakers on 12-18 shooting from the field. He also made more threes than in any other game this season with a 5-10 showing from downtown. Three games later, he’d match that with a 5-10 night against the Dallas Mavericks, where he scored 28 points, dished a season-high 6 assists, and played a season-high 37 minutes of action.
But wait, there’s more! As ugly as the Bulls’ meeting with the Thunder turned out to be on Monday night, Buzelis still found a way to make his presence felt. Not only did he score double-digit points for the fifth-straight game, but he recorded 4 blocks to set a (you guessed it) new career-high.
To be sure, his recent scoring outbursts deserve the most recognition. Whether it be questions about his ball-handling or three-point shooting, Buzelis is silencing those. The fact that he can attack off the bounce and create offense for himself with a six-foot-ten frame is extremely rare. It’s also a skill set every star-level player in the league must possess.
With that said, many star-level players in the league can also make big plays on the other side of the ball. Buzelis has shown flashes of being a legitimately impactful two-way contributor all season long, and his 4 blocks against OKC served as another major flash. He swatted former No. 2 overall pick and physical specimen Chet Holmgren THREE different times. Sure, the seven-foot-one big man still needs to gain some strength and is developing in his own right, but meeting him at the rim isn’t some kind of walk in the park.
Matas Buzelis’ career-high 4 blocks:
Career-high of 4 blocks in a game for the rook 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Kulvbjrdta
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) April 1, 2025
We’ve talked about it all season long, but Buzelis’ shot-block timing is pretty darn outstanding. He also does a great job moving his feet and staying vertical to keep players from getting off clean looks. Even before he was clocking regular starting minutes for the team, he was sitting near the top of the rookie class in blocks per game.
As of today, he currently leads the Bulls with 65 total swats on the season and ranks 5th among the rookie class. The only first-year players to sit in front of him are Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr, Yves Missi, and Zach Edey. All entered the league as traditional centers, and all except Edey have spent more time on the court this season. Overall, Buzelis ranks 31st among NBA players in blocks this season. Is it just me … or is that pretty darn impressive!?
Anyhow, I guess the whole point of this post is to say that Matas Buzelis remains arguably the most compelling player on this roster. The emergence of the backcourt is undoubtedly meaningful, but we shouldn’t lose sight of how important Buzelis’ development is and how much he’s already shown us. I already can’t wait for Year 2.
