Chicago just dropped their third straight game last night, dropping a close decision against the San Antonio Spurs. This is the third time in four days that they have held a lead in the fourth quarter, but lost the game. All three losses were to top-tier opponents; the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Spurs are all NBA Championship contenders. After a 6-1 start to the year, the Bulls have cooled off to a 6-4 standing and will head to face the 9-2 Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. They’ve been without Coby White the entire season, and Josh Giddey missed last night’s outing. In last night’s crumble, one move made by head coach Billy Donovan has lit social media on fire. What did he do, and is it justifiable?
Benched Matas Buzelis Down The Stretch
Matas Buzelis has had a strong start to his sophomore campaign. Through ten games, he’s averaging 14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per night. These are all improvements from his rookie year. His most significant weakness remains his size and inability to defend without fouling. He did add a few pounds to his frame this offseason, but larger power forwards and physical big men are still overpowering him. This is partially Donovan’s doing, lining Buzelis up against a stronger matchup nearly every night. In the early going, Patrick Williams’s superior strength has given him the nod against some of these tricky opposing forwards.
Matas Buzelis didn’t see the floor in the final 7 minutes of the game. Inexcusable from Donavan
— Cole Gross (@CGross23) November 11, 2025
From watching the progression of the game, Buzelis was likely benched due to his late defensive rotations, fouls, and Williams’s defense to that point. After subbing in with seven minutes remaining, Williams was 0-for-2 with a turnover. Buzelis finished with 15 points on 55.6% shooting from the field, added five rebounds, and didn’t see the floor while the Bulls blew a late six-point lead.
Donovan Has Remained Hard On Buzelis
The one constant between Donovand and Buzelis has been the standard for excellence. Any outing that Buzelis has lacked defensively, failed to get back in transition, or racked up fouls at a raging pace, he’s been pulled. It has not mattered the opponent or circumstance, Donovan has rarely let his youngster remain on the floor through rough patches and work through his struggles. In contrast to the fanbase, Buzelis has been outspokenly supportive of the stern coaching from his leader. In games like last night, missing his offensive explosiveness and defensive versatility led to another tight loss.
Billy Donovan is the perfect coach for Matas Buzelis. https://t.co/mobFRZtR8b pic.twitter.com/UwjiL0rLDS
— Drew Stevens (@Drew_H_Stevens) October 23, 2025
Buzelis will have to improve defensively and learn to defend larger forwards without fouling if he wants to remain in the game. His second-unit replacement, Patrick Williams, is also having a career year and playing defense at a significantly higher level. Last night, he had four steals, a team-best +9 plus/minus, and was 2-for-4 when subbed into the game for the sophomore phenom.
Do you agree with Donovan’s hard style of coaching on Buzelis, or should he let the youngster work some things out between the lines? In last night’s case, it might have cost Chicago the game.
