In the first year of the Matas Buzelis era, the Chicago Bulls won 39 games and made it to the play-in game as the ninth seed. They lost in brutal fashion, crashing back into the lottery. That postseason experience could prove to be valuable for Buzelis, who is now entering his second season in the NBA with a clear goal in mind.
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis wants to win
Matas Buzelis got a little taste of winning in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls. They won 39 games, which is not a large number, but it is more than many lottery teams from 2024 managed to win the following season. They also made the Play-In Tournament.
In 2025-26, Buzelis’ goal is to win. “Win as many games as possible. It’s obviously going to be a tough season. Every year is a tough season, so I’d say just win as many games as possible,” he said. “Everything comes down to winning at the end of the day. Everything comes down to winning, so every minute detail, from recovery to going to the gym early to working hard in practice, it’s all going to matter. I want to win.”
Bad news for the goal
The Bulls are bringing back largely the same team. They drafted Noa Essengue in the lottery in 2025, and he serves as the only major acquisition. They traded Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro and are in the process of attempting to re-sign Josh Giddey, so it’s almost entirely the same roster that won 39 games.
That may be bad news for Buzelis’ goal. Aside from himself and Essengue, the players on the team are largely veterans who are probably not primed for big year-to-year jumps. Buzelis had a very promising rookie season, and his year-two jump might be the determining factor in how much better Chicago can get in 2025-26.
But his goals make it sound as if he’s going to put in all the extra work and drive himself to continue getting better so that he can impact winning, and hopefully help the Bulls get better and get into the playoffs this season.
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