Bulls Rookie Matas Buzelis Carrying Family’s Lithuanian Legacy Forward Into NBA

Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

It didn’t take long for Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis to impact winning on an NBA floor.

With 17.8 seconds left in regulation with his team up by two, the 19-year-old switched onto Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. at the left wing with the preseason opener hanging in the balance.

On an island against a savvy, attack-minded second-year player, Buzelis shifted his feet, stood his ground and didn’t allow Porter to step inside of the perimeter, using his 6-foot-10 frame to contest the final shot attempt of the game and secure a 116-112 victory for Chicago at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“It was a tough training camp, but I learned a lot,” Buzelis told RG.org in a sit-down interview Tuesday morning before the game. “I expected it was gonna be tough, a lot of competition and playing against the best players in the world. Just learning how to read the game defensively, offensively. And then, it was just a lot of running, a lot of conditioning. High-intensity stuff.”

“He's active. He runs the floor. He's aggressive. He's physical. He's gonna get stronger. There were some things he obviously made some mistakes on, which you expect. But overall, I love his mentality,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said to reporters after the team’s win. That's the thing I love. He's got a really good work ethic, he wants to get better, and he's got a toughness to him competitively the way he plays.”

This early career triumph shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the preparation he’s had.

After his high school career between nearby Hinsdale Central, Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas led to five-star prospect status and a 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game selection, Buzelis chose the now-defunct G League Ignite over a multitude of college offers. It’s an experience he’ll always be thankful for.

“It was a great situation. I wish it didn't end because if you look at the numbers, there's been [six] lottery picks. It's just unfortunate that it happened, but they did an amazing job from the start when I got there to the end,” Buzelis said.

“They showed me the NBA schedule you've got to follow, they showed me how to play against NBA players, they showed me how to compete, and [I had] NBA coaching and training. But they really instilled a lot of stuff in me about the NBA, so I feel like I have a slight advantage walking into my rookie year.”

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When asked which teammates have taken him under their wing, Buzelis didn’t point to specifics. However, he did give a shoutout to his player development coach Peter Patton.

“He holds me accountable every day to be great,” Buzelis said. “Vets, I don't really limit myself to any vets. I try to really talk to everybody, try to learn what they think, how they think, different ways of the game that they try to translate on the floor.

“But probably the main guy's been Peter Patton. After practice, at night, in the morning, we work every day. He's probably tired of seeing me.”

Taking a glance at the Bulls roster, Buzelis is hardly the only hometown hero. Including him, there are six players on the team from the state of Illinois and the Chicago area: Ayo Dosunmu, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jevon Carter, E.J. Liddell and DJ Steward.

“It's crazy, honestly,” Buzelis said. “I was talking about it with my AAU coach how many Chicago kids there are. I think us being from the same area, I think we jell together even more and build a stronger connection.”

That coach – Dmitry Pirshin of Full Package Athletics, a program based in the city – is ironically one of the main voices that pushed Buzelis closer to the game.

“He was the guy who brought me to practice, showed me what work it takes,” Buzelis said. “I think me having that competitiveness of my family, the genes that they have, me wanting to learn and be the best at whatever I do, basketball was that thing that I can lean on.”

Donovan has not shied away from the fact that the Bulls will be deliberate and attentive to detail when it comes to Buzelis. Depending on how the rotation shakes out, that could even include trips to the G League with the Windy City Bulls.

But don’t think for one second that it’s any sort of indictment on his talents. Donovan knows what kind of potential Buzelis brings to the table.

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Although the Bulls are taking a methodical approach to his development, Buzelis is carrying lottery-pick expectations with him. But those pale in comparison to continuing his family’s sports legacy and proudly representing his heritage.

“It's very important,” Buzelis said. “In Lithuania, basketball's like a religion, and it's a hyper-competitive sport. Me, figuring out where my ancestors came from, I think it gains me an advantage, but also, I have a lot to hold, you know? To try to be great for them and show my basketball talents.”

His grandfather, Petras Buzelis, was a standout captain for Zalgiris Kaunas and won six Lithuanian men’s championships in the mid-1950s and ‘60s. Another grandfather, Arvydas Jankauskas, also played professionally. His grandmother, Elena Buzeliene, starred in handball and achieved unbelievable records nationally and internationally.

Matas’ mother, Kristina Jankauskaite, made her mark in hoops at the grassroots level and continued that momentum into the pro ranks. And his father, Aidas Buzelis, spent time with numerous organizations in the Lithuanian Basketball League before joining the national team as a trainer, where he grew close to Jonas Valančiūnas.

Naturally, Matas gravitated toward Valančiūnas, whom he’s referred to as his “uncle.”

“He's been like the guy who I tried to follow when I was younger,” Buzelis said. “Even though I didn't like basketball when I was younger. I was a gamer — video games and all that.

“But I just started to love the sport of basketball, and Jonas has been that guy who's in the NBA, who's been there for like [13] years. So he's one of those guys that you can steal stuff from and benefit off of.”

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Buzelis finished his NBA preseason debut with 12 points on 4 of 9 from the field to go with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in just under 21 minutes of action.

Donovan explained that he’ll have to grasp when to get his shots off and where his attempts will come from, noting that his offensive maturation will take time.

That said, there were flashes of a slick handle, solid vision, sensational athleticism, sound strides on both ends of the floor, and a great touch on his short jumpers.

“I think even talking to him a little bit, he even acknowledged the first week, you're trying to get all this stuff in,” Donovan said. “You've got like six practices and you're playing today, right?

“So it's underneath out of bounds, side out of bounds, whatever it is. Running on misses, makes, all those things, and not even talking about the defensive side of the ball. And I think a lot of it was moving fast. But he just doesn't get rattled."