The latest Chicago Bulls news on the heels of a victory over the Orlando Magic, featuring a game-saving performance from the bench and a potential breakout showing for the new and improved Patrick Williams.

Matas Buzelis struggles for the first time in 2025-26

Buzelis had a standout preseason. He led the Bulls in scoring, averaging 17.6 points in just under 24 minutes per game. Based on that exhibition performance and his strong finish to last year, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to believe he could score close to 20 ppg this season.

He did, in fact, finish with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds and three blocks in a game one win over the Detroit Pistons.

He came back down to Earth hard against the Magic, though. Buzelis got into foul trouble early and finished the game with just three points in 13 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to see a 21-year-old starting his 34th NBA game struggle the way Buzelis did against the Magic, but it did feel like a slight shock considering how much better he looked during the preseason and how well he played against Detroit. It’s only a bump in the road, but it should serve as a reminder to fans that he’s not ready to be the franchise savior quite yet.

Bulls bench leads the way to victory in Orlando

As one of the team’s top scoring options, Buzelis’s poor night should have had a more significant effect on Chicago. But Billy Donovan’s bench mob more than picked up the slack.

Jalen Smith had 16 points in 17 minutes. Ayo Dosunmu scored 15. Patrick Williams added 12, and Kevin Huerter had 11 points as the Bulls’ reserves outscored the starters 58-52. Chicago’s offense was humming at a high level, even without Coby White.

That’s the performance executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas envisioned when he talked all offseason about the depth of the roster.

Patrick Williams proves he can succeed in a new role

Williams truly affected the game against the Magic; that’s not something that’s been said much about the Bulls’ 24-year-old forward. He played 29 minutes off the bench, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. He did noticeable things, like throw down a one-handed dunk.

It was fair not to expect much from Williams this year, but if he can be efficient and, even occasionally, look like a lockdown defender, he could end up as a surprisingly important rotation player.