Matas Buzelis logged his lowest output of the season against Philadelphia on Monday night, putting up just four points and racking up five turnovers in 23 minutes. It’s a rough stat line, but the third-year forward for the Chicago Bulls isn’t hitting the panic button. He’s actually seen this movie play out before.
The Ugly Numbers and The Familiar Story
You look at that stat sheet from the Philly game and it’s not pretty. Four points, five turnovers, and to top it off, four personal fouls in 23 minutes. That’s a brutal night for any player, especially when your team is sitting at a 1-6 record, raising eyebrows among the fanbase. Fans are definitely wondering where the offensive production is going to come from. But Buzelis? He’s staying calm, saying this kind of tough start is nothing new.
“If you guys can recall, every one of my beginning of my seasons, first and second, they were tough,” Buzelis told Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. He knows these early days are always a grind. This year, it feels a little harder with new guys on the roster, a whole different team learning to gel. Right now, Buzelis is averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds over his first seven games, shooting 40 percent from the field and just 29 percent from deep. Not exactly lighting the world on fire, but the locker room isn’t ready to sell their stock in him yet.
Coach’s Tough Talk and Teammate’s Perspective
Even with Buzelis keeping his cool, head coach Tiago Splitter didn’t sugarcoat things after the loss. His message to Buzelis was pretty direct: you gotta stop playing in a crowd. The numbers against the 76ers painted a clear picture of that problem, with Buzelis having more turnovers than points. That just cannot happen.
Point guard Josh Giddey weighed in on the offensive struggles, explaining the challenge. “In the halfcourt, and I’ve spoken to it before, we have multiple guys that can be offensive weapons for us, so trying to balance that attack,” Giddey said. Last year, the team didn’t have scorers like Norman Powell or Caleb Wilson, guys who can get buckets at will. Everyone’s still figuring out how to play together, how to share the ball and find their spots.
The Process Is Real, And He Vows To Fix It
Buzelis is confident he’ll figure it out. He’s pointing to all the hard work he put in over the summer, believing those improvements are eventually going to show up when it matters. “It’s all a process. Figuring out when to attack, when to shoot, it’s all different for me, but I’ll get it. It’s a matter of time,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. He knows he can’t force plays when defenses close in. He’s got to learn when to move the rock and create that space.
His confidence hasn’t evaporated despite the rough patch. He can remember his rookie season where he averaged only 2.9 points in his first seven games. Then last year, his first seven *starts* saw him put up 14.9 points per game. That shows he can turn it around. But the Bulls absolutely need him to make smarter decisions under pressure. If those turnovers don’t drop, his potential has a ceiling. Splitter’s criticism is a crucial part of his growth, and Buzelis seems to get it. He’s offering words of encouragement to the whole team, reminding everyone, “As I keep saying, it’s a process. I promise you I’ll figure it out.”
That promise, that absolute vow, hangs heavy over the next game. Can Buzelis finally start breaking this pattern and turn those improvements into real on-court results?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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