It seems strange that a team struggling this badly would ask its young star to hold back, yet that is exactly what is happening with Matas Buzelis. According to Pippen Ain’t Easy, the team needs Buzelis to throw caution to the wind and stop passing up shots when the offense stalls.
The numbers paint a grim picture for the home crowd. Through eight contests, Chicago sits at 1-7, appearing disjointed even on strong nights with possession, ranking among the NBA’s poorest offensive squads. The squad sits at No. 29 in field goal percentage and is dead last in three-point field goal percentage across the league. Matas Buzelis’ passive habits confuse fans observing the rebuild struggle, a direct result of such poor performance.
A Volume Scorer Holding Back
While Buzelis has shown he can score heavily in the NBA, 2026-27 has seen him pass more often than assert himself when the Bulls require boldness. Prior to the Nov. 4 matchup versus the New York Knicks, Buzelis averaged merely 13.0 points while shooting a career-low 29.0 percent from deep. That stretch also saw him commit a career-high 3.0 turnovers per game, destroying any momentum the squad attempted to generate.
Despite these struggles, his raw tools remain elite. During his second season, Buzelis posted 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, alongside 2.1 assists per game and 1.5 blocked shots nightly. Only one other player, Victor Wembanyama, joined Buzelis in blocking 100+ shots and making 100+ 3-pointers during their respective second seasons. This unique skill set should be a weapon, not a hidden asset.
Too Much Caution for a Bad Team
Simply stated: The Bulls are a terrible offensive unit with no justification to ask a talented scorer like Buzelis to hesitate. No one demands he rescue the Bulls’ season alone, yet this struggling team certainly does not need further passivity from him on offense. The team ranks No. 28 in offensive rating at 105.9, a mark that demands more aggression from every player on the roster.
Chicago must establish a sustainable offensive system around rookie and franchise pillar Caleb Wilson, but Buzelis should not fear firing shots. Sources indicate there is a solid probability Matas Buzelis develops into a good, perhaps even very good, NBA player. However, he likely will not become the superstar Chicago Bulls supporters once imagined if he continues waiting for perfect plays rather than shooting.
Accepting Reality for the Future
Becoming a No. 2 option on a contender, a role Buzelis might eventually fill, is hardly a fate to dismiss lightly. An organization enduring struggles for so long as this one has can utilize every good player it manages to acquire. In retrospect, perhaps the ‘franchise-savior’ burdens placed upon him by certain observers were expectations he never truly could meet. Do not rule him out or claim never, yet accepting Buzelis for his actual strengths and limitations might be the right move now.
Before this season, Buzelis represented the most legitimate hope available to Bulls fans. The Chicago native dropped to No. 11 in the 2024 draft, resulting in a perfect alignment between the player and franchise. Finding his rhythm took time for the ex-G League Ignite standout, with the initial weeks of this campaign proving a grind for Buzelis. The team needs him to change his approach immediately if they want to climb out of the basement.
