Chicago is back on the winning train over the last week after besting the Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back outings and then outracing the Atlanta Hawks in a 152-150 victory. Tonight, they'll rematch Trae Young and company to continue building their longest win streak since October. During the three-game stretch, a few revealing things have come to light. Josh Giddey continues to set the pace offensively, Nikola Vucevic's diminished offensive role has become more efficient in bursts, Zach Collins and Jalen Smith have proven essential defensively, and one youngster is finding a new gear, which could turn into the next face of the franchise.
Matas Buzelis Is Hooping
Matas Buzelis entered last Friday night with five 20-point outings on the year. Since then, he's had back-to-back games of 24 or more. Over the weekend, he averaged 26 points per night, shot 19-of-26 from the field, 9-for-16 from three-point land, and added four blocks and three steals. The fast-paced, high-flying forward is finding his groove at the perfect time, and Chicago sorely needs a cornerstone to build around. Can he be the next icon in the Windy City?
MATAS BUZELIS TONIGHT:
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) December 21, 2025
28 PTS (Season-high)
3 REB
2 BLK
10/11 FG
7/8 3FG (Career-high)
117.8 TS%
Future star. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/XkukCzI7Sg
Adding Collins and Smith back into the rotation has helped Buzelis tremendously on defense. With some rim protection behind him, he's not consistently ineffective in the paint and can provide more help to other driving threats more freely. In seven of the nine games this month, he's tallied at least one block and steal. Creating chaos defensively with his athleticism and fast-break prowess is key to his success.
Chasing Most Improved Player Award
Before the year, Buzelis said that his personal goal was to claim the league's Most Improved Player honor. At the start of the regular season, he was the second-most likely player to win the award, behind Amen Thompson. As it currently stands, he's slipped out of the top ten and passed by his own teammate, Josh Giddey. Several players at the top of the list are set to receive their first All-Star nomination, which will eliminate Buzelis from contention: Deni Avdija, Jalen Johnson, and Jalen Duren will likely emerge as the top contenders as the year progresses. The only way that the sophomore in Chicago can crawl back into the rankings is by continuing the pace he set this weekend, and becoming a nightly 20 or more point scorer.
Matas Buzelis in his last two games:
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) December 22, 2025
73.1 FG%
26 PPG
9 3PM
56.3 3P%
Ascending 📈 pic.twitter.com/UPkdQcONzu
The less-than-ideal side of Buzelis's recent heroics is the position it has placed the Bulls in the standings. If the current rankings hold, they'd find themselves in a fourth consecutive NBA Play-In Tournament and continue to be stuck in mediocrity. They consistently fail to land high enough in the draft lottery for a franchise-altering pick, yet also fail to qualify for the NBA Playoffs, thereby denying themselves a chance at contention.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing has become certain for Chicago: Matas Buzelis is a blossoming star.
