It’s safe to say that Chicago Bulls training camp has gone well.
Sure, rarely do the weeks leading up to the regular season not fall into that category. Players, coaches, and front office members alike are all excited to be back in the building and start a new campaign. The hope for what a fresh year can bring is always exciting.
Still, the positive vibes inside the Advocate Center make perfect sense. The Bulls underwent a massive organizational overhaul, shifting their focus to a more traditional rebuild led by several promising young players. Even if there are somewhat low expectations for the win-loss column, the simple fact that everyone is rowing in the same direction generates a sense of hope.
Matas Buzelis spoke to that point after Tuesday’s practice. In doing so, he underscored just how different things feel heading into Year 3, both personally and as an organization.
Matas Buzelis may only be entering his third full season of NBA action, but the 21-year-old has always been rather blunt about his desire to win. It’s why adjusting to this situation has seemingly taken some time, as Buzelis noted how important it is to keep a level head.
“Practicing patience,” Buzelis said. “Everything can’t come to you at once. It was hard for me. I speak to a lot of people, a lot of smart [and] intelligent people, and they tell me everything comes with time.”
Buzelis has continued to preach the mentality the Bulls should want him to have throughout training camp. He is as motivated as anyone on the roster and sounds committed to helping build a sustainable winner. Nevertheless, losing games is never easy for any uber-competitive player to stomach, nor is a lack of direction.
Hence why 2025-26 proved to be such a mental challenge.
“It was hard for me. Last year was hard,” Buzelis admitted. “Sometimes, you got to go through stuff with your life to notice that you want better. Last year was extremely hard. There was no type of rhythm. We didn’t know who was playing. We didn’t know how we were going to play. Now, there is going to be more structure. Everyone is in a role. And you know what you’re going to get every night. You got to go through stuff, and that builds you as a person.”
To be sure, Buzelis appeared to be speaking mainly to the Bulls’ second-half stint. The trade deadline saw a massive shift for the organization, leading to a hodgepodge of players coming in mid-season. Regardless, the mere fact that the Bulls even got to that point speaks to the broader message: Chicago was a franchise in disarray, and everyone could feel it.
As for this season, Buzelis now feels something very different.
“Everything is way more intense,” Buzelis said. “I think it’s also my mentality. Every day I’m coming in with an intent to get better. I was doing that last year, but there is always more to fill up your cup. And that’s something I’ve been focusing on: getting better every day, but with the intention to be the best player that I can be.”
It’s early. The truth is that only time will tell just how different this new era of Bulls basketball turns out to be. But that doesn’t take away from what Buzelis feels.
Indeed, feeling as optimistic as he does is an encouraging sign for the franchise, specifically when considering how important he is to their future. As far as this front office is concerned, as long as Buzelis is fully bought into the vision, they are doing something right.
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