Matas Buzelis isn’t so sure about the concept of friendly competition — especially when it comes to Chicago Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson.
Only a few months after their first meeting, Buzelis and Wilson are already fast friends. But that doesn’t mean the pair lets each other off the hook. Buzelis feels the best way to translate that friendship onto the court is to channel it into a heightened competitiveness. And for his money, there’s one main way that either young star can make the other better.
“We can try to kill each other on the court,” Buzelis said.
Buzelis is serious. So is Wilson. The early weeks of training camp under new coach Tiago Splitter already included plenty of five-on-five scrimmaging. And the young duo spent those sessions — and the last few weeks of optional training sessions — trying to take each other’s heads off whenever they’re paired up.
Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (8) screams during his photo session during the Chicago Bulls Media Day at the United Center on Sept. 28, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Bulls forward Matas Buzelis poses during media day at the United Center on Sept. 28, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (8) at the Chicago Bulls Media Day at the United Center on Sept. 28, 2026, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
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Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (8) screams during his photo session during the Chicago Bulls Media Day at the United Center on Sept. 28, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
In some scrimmages, Buzelis and Wilson are paired up. On other days, Splitter divides them and lets them go head-to-head. Both try to dunk on the other — and both deny that any such attempt on their own life was successful.
“If we’re going to mess around, let each other score — that’s not going to get us to the level we want to be at,” Buzelis said.
The Buzelis-Wilson pairing provides plenty of interesting schematic questions for Splitter in his first year as a coach. Both can play the 4, although it appears Buzelis likely will slide out to more of a 3 position when he shares the court with the rookie. Splitter often brushes off this type of delineation in his mostly positionless style of play, but a full move to the wing would only benefit Buzelis in the frontcourt system.
Both Buzelis and Wilson have similar strengths in their arsenal, highlighted by bounding athleticism and a desire to dunk early and often. Wilson needs to work on his shot. Buzelis needs to improve his close-range finishing. Both are hungry to make those improvements as quickly as possible. But Buzelis is encouraged by the early flow the pair has found together, which allows the team to stretch the defense and put excess pressure on the rim.
“We just know where we’re at out on the court,” Buzelis said. “We don’t really have to play to one strength. We can do everything on the court.”
At times, it’s hard to remember that this partnership is only a few months old. Buzelis and Wilson first met when the No. 4 pick attended a predraft workout at the Advocate Center.
After Wilson was drafted in late June, Buzelis welcomed him into the city’s most star-studded friend group, an ensemble that includes Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. The pair spent the summer raising hell at Cubs games, traipsing through VIP sections at the Summer Smash festival and watching Kanye West perform at Soldier Field. Wilson and Buzelis spent most of their time together in the Advocate Center, logging multiple workouts per day over the summer.
Competitiveness defines both of their personalities. And yet Buzelis never feels any pressure or discomfort in how Wilson’s stardom sits aside his own. They want the same thing. They know they can’t achieve it without one another. And Buzelis feels Wilson pursues that goal in a way that is familiar to his own approach.
“He feels like my brother, bro,” Buzelis said. “I don’t know. It’s like my twin. We’re very similar in the way we talk. I remember watching some of his interviews and it just reminded me of how I was talking, how I was thinking. He’s very confident. Sometimes you meet people and you just connect very easily.”
Despite this early bond, however, Wilson and Buzelis still have everything to prove on the court. The pair will play its first minutes of live-action basketball together Wednesday in the preseason home opener against the Phoenix Suns, but the real first test is the Oct. 21 season opener in Toronto.
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The Bulls need this to work. Wilson and Buzelis are both high-upside players with the potential to grow into real-deal pieces for this franchise to build upon. The Bulls haven’t cashed in on two draft picks like this in years. If it works, the team could be on track for a grassroots rebuild that creates long-term success in the modern NBA.
But that ultimately comes down to how Wilson and Buzelis perform. Both are aware of the pressure — and neither wants to give it too much attention. For Buzelis, any speculation about this duo’s future is only outside noise.
“Who cares what people think?” Buzelis said. “We’re going to figure it out.”