“Not even the NBA 2K27 game showed enough respect to the talented forward, giving him only an 81 rating in this game. This placed him alongside players like Onyeka Okongwu, Walker Kessler, and Devin Vassell.
But none of them added to the list of players who recorded at least 170 three-pointers and at least 115 blocks in the 2025-2026 season. That was done by Buzelis, who entered the company of exceptional players including Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Rasheed Wallace, Brook Lopez, and Myles Turner. And Buzelis is the youngest among them. Not bad at all for a player who just finished his second NBA season and only celebrated his 21st birthday last October,” writes J. Cowley.
However, this offseason in Chicago, most talk is about the fourth pick rookie Caleb Wilson, the new head coach Tiago Splitter, the new management led by Bryson Graham, and the free agent Norman Powell, who played in last year’s All-Star game.
“I just want to remind what Buzelis said at the end of last season when he mentioned that he will continue to strive to become better and prove to the Bulls that he can be a winning player,” writes J. Cowley, adding M. Buzelis’s quote: “This summer I will work hard. It will be a tough summer for me to strengthen my body and become sharper in all aspects of the game. But mostly talking about the body, shooting, ball handling. The most important thing will be to add strength.”
According to J. Cowley, M. Buzelis looked stronger already in July when he came to watch the Summer League games.
The analyst says that M. Buzelis will have even better opportunities to show his best basketball next season because he will play with teammates who better complement his strengths.
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“The arrivals of Nico Claxton and Wilson will not only give Buzelis more help protecting the rim but also allow him to play both forward positions and utilize his versatility. In the Summer League, there were moments when Wilson proved he could play small forward, and Buzelis proved that at the NBA level last season. According to Basketball Index data, it was harder to defend against him than 72% of the league’s forwards, and in perimeter defense, he was better than 84% of players. This proves that Buzelis can become an elite player on both ends of the floor and not only protect the rim but also switch onto any opponent on the perimeter,” writes J. Cowley.
According to the analyst, if C. Wilson proves he can play in the NBA and N. Claxton is no longer troubled by back problems, then T. Splitter will have a great front line, in which M. Buzelis will also play an important role.
“Do you remember him?” – the Chicago Sun-Times analyst asked rhetorically at the end of the article.
The Chicago Bulls will play their first preseason game on October 7 and officially start the season on October 21.
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