comparison to other NBA forwards<\/a>. Optics aren\u2019t really the issue. The forward can\u2019t absorb contact the way he wants. He gets pushed off his spot when he walls up in the paint. He can\u2019t make a stand on the low block against an opposing big. He\u2019s too easily pushed off his path when attempting to drive downhill.<\/p>\nThis dynamic only grew harsher after the trade deadline, when Buzelis took on a much larger share of the team\u2019s on-ball responsibilities. The past 25 games have featured far too many lowlights of Buzelis being sent sprawling to the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got to get stronger,\u201d coach Billy Donovan said. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing \u2014 fighting over screens, on the glass. Sometimes the strength part neutralizes his athleticism and neutralizes his skills. \u2026 For a young player, putting on good quality strength can make them a lot better. He needs that. I think you\u2019re seeing that. I\u2019m glad that\u2019s getting exposed, because that\u2019s something we can address in the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
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From the outside, strength can be a tricky thing to track in a professional athlete. Players often articulate a desire to get bigger or stronger. But what does that actually mean?<\/p>\n
Weight can be a somewhat useful metric to understand the way a young player\u2019s body is changing. Forwards with a similar build often weigh in between 215 and 225 pounds. Buzelis weighed in at 197 pounds at the 2024 draft combine. The Bulls listed him at 209 pounds at the start of the season in October. Donovan estimates that Buzelis added most of that weight \u2014 roughly 8 to 10 pounds \u2014 over the summer after his rookie season.<\/p>\n
The Bulls don\u2019t want Buzelis to get caught up in hitting an arbitrary number on the scale. The forward is unlikely to grow into a hulking frame. His brand of athleticism is predicated on a bouncy explosiveness that shouldn\u2019t be encumbered with unnecessary bulking. Even in this context, however, Buzelis needs to add significant muscle and strength through his core and upper body to match opponents at his position.<\/p>\n
This problem can\u2019t be solved during the season. Buzelis has been an iron man for the Bulls this year, averaging 29.3 minutes while missing only one game. His workload rose to 31.7 minutes per game after the trade deadline. The forward logged 34 or more minutes in six of the last 12 games, including a marathon 45-minute performance in an overtime win over the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n
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This level of cardio \u2014 paired with the fatigue of heavy minutes and grueling defensive assignments \u2014 affects a player\u2019s in-season regimen for physical maintenance. Buzelis can\u2019t lift heavy when he\u2019s trying to recover from a back-to-back. His metabolism is working overtime. As a result, the forward might have actually lost weight over the last four months.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough,\u201d Buzelis said. \u201cI play basically the whole game. I have to do a lot of things and move around a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his first two seasons, Buzelis worked with the team medical staff to sneak extra calories into his day through shakes and protein bars and prolific, purposeful snacking. His mother, Kristina, often comes over after games to cook him a sprawling meal. But this summer, Buzelis is taking an even more focused approach that will include hiring a personal chef and dedicating hours of every week to weightlifting.<\/p>\n
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Still, Donovan believes patience will be key for this part of Buzelis\u2019 maturation. The forward doesn\u2019t turn 22 until October. Donovan believes most NBA players don\u2019t fill into their bodies until they hit 25. That means Buzelis could continue to experience significant physical transformation that won\u2019t be fully complete until the final year of his rookie contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it is growing up,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be some maturing to do for a guy that\u2019s 21 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Understanding of this timeline means the team has to make adjustments. In the short term, the Bulls are comfortable playing Buzelis as a three on offense to accommodate for his relative lack of strength against defensive fours and fives. But for the forward to truly reach his potential, Buzelis knows he needs to be able to play as a power forward.<\/p>\n
Buzelis refuses to let his strength ever become an excuse. The forward believes he can make a significant leap this summer to create a foundation for physicality that will power the rest of the career. And even when he\u2019s undersized, Buzelis hopes to outplay his physical limitations.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be strong, but you can play strong,\u201d Buzelis said. \u201cThere\u2019s a level of competitiveness that you have to show on the court. It doesn\u2019t matter how light you are. Guys are obviously bigger than me but there\u2019s a level of fight that you have to show. You can stop anybody with your will.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matas Buzelis is tired of getting pushed around. It isn\u2019t a matter of intent. No one is more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3771],"tags":[7,3363,920,919,329,3824,123,164,938,185,973,6,8279],"class_list":{"0":"post-695937","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bulls","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-billy-donovan","10":"tag-bulls","11":"tag-chicago","12":"tag-chicago-bulls","13":"tag-chicagobulls","14":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","15":"tag-golden-state-warriors","16":"tag-kevin-durant","17":"tag-lebron-james","18":"tag-matas-buzelis","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-the-bulls"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116341250891564251","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}