Tonight’s NBA Cup victory over the Washington Wizards pushed the Chicago Bulls to a 2-1 standing in the Emirates NBA Cup and into sole first place of their East Group C. With a plus 15-point differential and only one game left, the Bulls have a legitimate chance at advancing beyond the group play stage. Their toughest test and the only team standing in the way are the reigning champion Boston Celtics, who they’ll face on Friday night for the right to advance to bracket play. Over the past month, specifically the last week, Chicago’s 11th overall pick rookie Matas Buzelis has produced increasingly better performances between the lines. How is his current shift in trajectory creating urgency for Arturas Karnisovas and the front office crew, and how soon will they need to act?
Credit should first go to Billy Donovan for unleashing his rookie forward. For the entire preseason and first month of the regular season, Donovan was adamant that Buzelis’s offensive skill set would flourish at this level but that the intangibles were lacking. This was evident after watching the 20-year-old in spot minutes or games that were out of hand. His fouling issues overshadowed any offensive firepower he could provide; the rebounding was lacking for his size, and defensively, he was being exposed by most matchups. Over the last month, Donovan has deployed Buzelis early and often for 12.3 minutes per contest in November and 22.0 minutes per game over the previous three. While the defense and rebounding still have much room for improvement, there’s no question he is a lethal weapon on the offensive side of the court.
The most promising sign from Donovan and Buzelis is the early minutes. Earning first-quarter minutes means he’s firmly in the rotation and gaining more time as weeks pass. From October to November, his minutes per outing doubled; over the last week, they’ve doubled again. How’s this impacting the front office and direction of the franchise?
Karnisovas is now witnessing a 20-year-old emerging star in Buzelis, a 24-year-old Coby White fresh off an All-Star caliber season, 24-year-old Ayo Dosunmu and 21-year-old Julian Philips earning the most minutes in their young careers and maximizing the opportunities, a 22-year-old newly acquired Josh Giddey playing floor general, and a 24-year-old free agency add Jalen Smith outplaying his contract value. These signs point to shipping off the two aging All-Stars of Zach LaVine (30 this summer) and Nikola Vucevic (34). Earlier this week, Joe Cowley confirmed that the Bulls are actively shopping the veteran duo, with few suitors picking up the phones.
The draft is the most efficient route to adding more youth talent to a rapidly improving roster. Chicago’s 2025 first-round selection belongs to the San Antonio Spurs unless that pick ends up in the top ten, in which case the Bulls would retain it. Karnisovas needs to do anything possible to further their chances at retaining this pick, and trading LaVine and Vucevic would certainly skyrocket those odds while simultaneously giving the youngest assets more chances to develop this season in preparation for the future.
Will Matas Buzelis continue to earn more playing time, and will he prove worthy of handing the future to? Trading LaVine and Vucevic would validate the 20-year-old rookie’s future stock.
