The Bulls Are 4-0 And Might Have An Emerging Superstar
Four games into the 2025-26 season, the Chicago Bulls sit atop the Eastern Conference at 4-0, their best start since 2021-22. Leading the charge is sophomore wing Matas Buzelis, who is dropping 16.8 points per game on impressive 51.0 percent shooting from the field. This hot start for Buzelis has fans dreaming big: could the 21-year-old No. 11 overall pick from last year’s draft be the franchise cornerstone Chicago has craved?
Of course, the Bulls’ success so far is about more than just Buzelis. Josh Giddey has orchestrated the offense with poise, Nikola Vucević has provided his trademark, steady scoring inside. Defensively, Chicago has been forcing turnovers and crashing the glass.
But Buzelis steals the show. As a rookie, he averaged just 8.6 points in 18.9 minutes across 80 games, starting only 31 while finishing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting. Now a full-time starter, he’s logging 28.0 minutes nightly.
Buzelis’s two-point game (61.3 percent) pops, as he’s always attacking the rim with ferocity. Against the Kings, he unleashed a career-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-6 threes, plus five rebounds, two steals and a block in 34 minutes. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan, Buzelis’s length disrupts plays—he’s averaging 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals—while chipping in 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
This leap feels real. Buzelis’s improved handle and shot creation have unlocked Chicago’s spacing, making life easier for Giddey and Vucević.
Bleacher Report’s Mo Dakhil recently highlighted Buzelis on a list of five players to watch for Most Improved.
“Last season, Matas Buzelis showcased his athleticism and dunking prowess,” Dakhil wrote. “This season, he has already shown improvements in his game that go beyond being an explosive dunker.”
“He has turned into a dynamic driver,” Dakhil continued. “He has even mastered the ability to get into the defender’s body with his shoulder before going up. Creating that contact has gotten Buzelis to the line four times a game. It can be tough for a second-year player to win the Most Improved Player award, but if Buzelis’ shooting returns to last year’s form, he is going to have a strong case.”
The Bulls’ next test looms Friday against the Knicks, but for now, 4-0 signals legitimacy. If Buzelis sustains this, Chicago could be on the rise. Bulls Nation, your wait might be over.