Monday night, the Chicago Bulls dropped their third consecutive decision, this time against the San Antonio Spurs. In their defense, they have had the most challenging schedule in the NBA so far this season, having run into the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Antonio Spurs all in a row. Against the Spurs, rising star Matas Buzelis was benched for the final seven minutes of action. With 15 points on nearly 60% shooting from the field, many fans wondered why head coach Billy Donovan made that decision as the Bulls blew a late lead in the closing moments. With four fouls, his last coming immediately before being pulled, the assumption was that Buzelis's lack of defense without committing fouls was again his demise. Here's what the youngster had to say about his head coach's decision.
Remaining Confident Through Adversity
If Chicago's second-year forward has any issue with Donovan, he's never made it known. Through his first two seasons, he has remained consistent in saying that he respects his head coach, trusts his process and decisions, and always takes accountability for being sidelined due to performance reasons. While these are all good things to hear from a 21-year-old phenom, as a fierce competitor, it must bother him that he hasn't been able to impact the final stretches of close games. Per K.C. Johnson, Buzelis is taking it in stride.
"I remain very confident. I Know this season is going to be a learning curve. I just gotta bounce back and learn from those mistakes."
Matas Buzelis via K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network
Defending without fouling is one of the last checkboxes that Buzelis needs to fix to reach star status. His offense has leaped this year, especially from beyond the three-point arc and attacking the rim. If he can improve defensively, especially against more powerful forwards, he'll be a mainstay for Chicago for the next decade.
Billy Donovan Remains Hard On The Sophomore
Chicago's head coach has always had a quick trigger when it comes to developing young players. Whether it's defensive mishaps, perceived laziness, or offensive slopiness, he is never afraid to bench his youngsters to send a message. In Buzelis's case, it's almost always on the defensive side, and primarily due to his fouling issues. Many think that Donovan should let the second-year player work through his problems between the lines.
See this that tough coaching nonsense people keep giving Billy Donovan a pass for. Specifically with Buzelis…If this team was a championship contender it would make sense. However they aren’t and should be allowing Matas to play through his mistakes https://t.co/bzUViez89j
— Savion (@Savy2Smooth) November 11, 2025
Is the early success for the Bulls forcing Donovan to bench his young players earlier than he should, or would a bottom-dwelling standing leave his approach unchanged? Last year, when the Bulls were seemingly out of the hunt, Buzelis was fully unleashed. With Chicago coming hot out of the gates, the leash has become tight once again.
