The Bulls have a young sensation in Matas Buzelis, who’s eager to show the results of his hard work on the court. The Chicago native is now entering his second season, when many players encounter the dreaded “sophomore slump” as the league prepares for their game more intensely. But Buzelis has an ideal game plan for avoiding this regression through further improvements and guidance from his teammates.

Last season, Buzelis showed great promise as a well-rounded wing capable of just about anything on the court. Both offensively and defensively, he flashed signs of playing various roles in whatever capacity the team needed. This already makes him harder for other teams to scout, and he’s still growing his game.

Matas Buzelis aims to elevate his game on both ends

An emphasis of Matas’ media day press conference was defense. The Bulls as a whole are very focused on improving their defense and physicality after the team generally lacked in that department last season, and especially in the play-in game against the Miami Heat. For Matas, he wants his defense to be a major talking point this season and even generate some buzz for an All-Defensive spot.

Despite his young age (still just 20 years old), Matas is already showing great maturity with his defensive accountability. He stated that he wants to be held to a high standard on that end of the floor, including coaches calling him out when he slacks off. Buzelis was one of the Bulls’ most promising defenders last season, with strong switchability and occasional rim protection. Embracing increased physicality and giving consistent effort can make him a solid plus defensively.

Offensively, Buzelis still has room to grow as well. He said his areas of improvement over the summer were shooting off the screens when defenses go under, improved ball-handling, and being more involved as a screener himself. He was a true jack of all trades on offense in his rookie season, and these improvements will allow him to maintain his versatility.

However, they also prepare him to play a bigger role on offense and grow into a star one day. In today’s NBA, most true first options need to have a respectable pull-up jumper that scares defenders from going under screens. Buzelis might not master this skill immediately, but getting him started on the track in his first offseason sets the path for him to one day be a star.

Better ball-handling and screen setting at his 6-foot-10 frame can create some really unique offensive actions for the Bulls. Forcing defenses to question how they can guard Buzelis will give the Bulls advantages, and allow him to have options regardless of the opposing defenders and coverages.

Matas’ teammates are also preparing him to handle increased defensive attention in his second season. He recalled a time when Ayo Dosunmu pulled him aside in practice to give advice on staying vigilant and improving his game. The Bulls as a whole are very invested in Buzelis’ growth, and his teammates have made it clear that they will help him in any way possible.