Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis has had a strong showing in the second half of the season.

Since the start of February, Buzelis has scored in double figures in 18 of his 24 contests, helping the Bulls to a 9-3 stretch over the team’s last 12 games. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has been part of a few high-profile victories during that span, including a last-second win against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the aforementioned contest, Buzelis contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and an assist in almost 25 minutes on the floor. While the Bulls were unable to come away with a win on Saturday night, Buzelis had an even better performance against Dallas.

In 37 minutes, the former Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) standout scored 28 points, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Buzelis also added nine rebounds, six assists and a block while only committing two turnovers.

28 points is the second-highest total in Buzelis’ young career, trailing only a 31-point outing from the rookie a week prior. The 20-year-old’s recent stretch of impressive performances should give Bulls’ fans hope that the team has found a solid young piece moving forward.

On the year, Buzelis is averaging 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc.

Coming into the draft process, Buzelis’ shooting was one of the former 5-star prospect’s biggest concerns. The 6-foot-10 wing player hasn’t completely alleviated these worries in his rookie season, but has certainly showed signs that he can be a reliable shooter at the NBA level.

Coming out of high school, Buzelis was rated the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 3 small forward in the country, according to 247Sports. Buzelis spent his postgraduate year of high school playing for the G League Ignite in the organization’s final season before folding.

Buzelis played in a bloated system alongside Ron Holland and a number of other high-profile players that turned out to be harmful for the Bulls’ rookie’s draft stock. Still, with good size, ball handling ability and feel for the game, Buzelis has the makings of a solid NBA player.

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