The future is bright in Chicago. The Bulls finished the 2024-25 season with 39 despite losing their two leading scorers from a year prior. Chicago prioritized youth, and it paid off. While a ninth-seed and a 19-point Play-In Tournament loss is nothing to write home about, the latter half of the season still exuded confidence.
The Bulls’ astounding backcourt, led by Josh Giddey and Coby White, combined to average 45.7 points, 15.1 rebounds, 13.6 assists, and 4.6 three-pointers per game following the All-Star break. However, the backcourt duo weren’t the only Bulls to break out in the second half of the season.
Rookie Matas Buzelis’s points per game more than doubled from before the All-Star break. Prior to the midseason festivities, Buzelis averaged 6.4 points in 14.8 minutes per game. In 27 contests after the All-Star Game, Buzelis averaged 13.0 points in 26.9 minutes per game.
Matas Buzelis’ Rookie of the Year vote is only a glimpse of his bright future
For the season, the 20-year-old averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. The 6-foot-10 forward converted 45.4 percent of his field goals and 36.1 percent of his triples. Buzelis was recognized for his strong efforts, and rightfully so. The 11th-overall pick finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, garnering a third-place vote. Thus, Buzelis will also likely land on the All-Rookie Second Team.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VrvxR9N4tT
https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1917355030715187461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Among all rookies to receive a Rookie of the Year vote (besides Jared McCain, who suffered a miniscus tear only 23 games into his inaugural campaign), Buzelis started the fewest games and averaged the least amount of minutes.
Despite the inconsistent workload, Buzelis drew enough of the voters’ (or should I say, voter) attention to see his name on a prestigious list. The third-place vote only makes us wonder if Buzelis would have vied for first place if he had been given a consistent role from the beginning.
The former G-League Ignite wing played only 5.6 minutes in October, 13.0 in November, 16.6 in December, and 13.8 in January before receiving a substantial bump in playing time once he was anointed starter in February. Buzelis’ post-All-Star break numbers rival those of Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle’s and second and third-place finishers Zaccharie Risacher and Jaylen Wells.
Buzelis’ fantastic finish bodes well for his and Chicago’s future. With a full offseason focusing on strength training, shooting mechanics, and on-ball reps, Buzelis’s development will continue exponentially. The forward has already demonstrated impressive strides on a month-to-month basis; a full offseason is sure to yield tremendous results.
