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Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls reacts against the Miami Heat.
Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis was named to the 2025 NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and he chose to celebrate with the help of one of his teammates.
Buzelis took to Instagram to relay his “mood.”
That is how Buzelis captioned a video posted to his Instagram stories featuring Bulls teammate Lonzo Ball, who was standing in front of a scenic locale and screaming that he felt he was “on top of the world!”
Buzelis averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists as a rookie, posting a 54.1% effective field goal mark and connecting on 36.1% of his deep looks. But he took off before he became a starter, posting a 13.3/4.5/1.7 line with 1.1 blocks and a .494/.373/.817 slash.
In a season that saw the Bulls miss the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight years and lose more of their viewership than any other team, Buzelis was a bright spot.
The Bulls need him to fare better than some of his teammates who have shared the honor.
Matas Buzelis Joins Bulls Teammates With League Honor
GettyMatas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates against the Golden State Warriors.
The No. 11 overall pick of the 2024 draft, Buzelis is one of three Bulls draft picks under contract as of May 20 to earn an All-Rookie team berth. He joins Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Patrick Williams.
All three players have drastically different backstories to their respective selections and have taken different paths since.
White was the Bulls’ top pick in 2019, taken No. 7 overall.
His role fluctuated over the next three seasons before he emerged as a starter again in 2023-24 and maintained that role this past season. White inked a three-year, $36 million contract as a restricted free agent in 2023, but he is again facing an uncertain future.
Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in 2020 and, despite inconsistency being his most consistent trait, the Bulls signed him to a five-year, $90 million extension last offseason.
He also faces an uncertain future even after receiving new money.
Dosunmu was the No. 38 pick in 2021, though he was still the Bulls’ top pick in that draft class. He inked a three-year, $21 million deal as an RFA in 2023 and also faces an uncertain future after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended his 2024-25 season.
Of that group, White’s current level would be a wise goal for Buzelis, especially if he can avoid the tumultuousness his teammate endured and reach it quicker.
Bulls Loading Up on All-Rookie Second Teamers.
GettyMatas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a dunk against the Denver Nuggets.
The Bigs’ Drew Stevens noted on X that Ball, Josh Giddey, and Kevin Huerter are also all former Second Team All-Rookie selections like Buzelis, and the potential roster implications for next season.
“The Bulls are going to answer the age-old question: What if you built a team out of all-rookie second teamers?” The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg posted in reaction.
None of those players are Bulls picks like Buzelis, Dosunmu, White, and Williams, though.
The last Bulls draft pick to earn All-Rookie First Team honors was Lauri Markkanen in 2017-18. He lasted three more seasons in Chicago before the Bulls traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal that also included the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
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