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Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls looks on during an NBA game.

The Chicago Bulls hired Tiago Splitter to be their head coach starting next season. Splitter is coming off an 81-game stint as interim coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, leading them back to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

Splitter was introduced as the Bulls’ new head coach on Wednesday, speaking to the media and getting to know some of his players like Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams and Isaac Okoro.

In 81 games last season, Splitter had a winning record of 42-40 with the Blazers. They won a game in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs before getting eliminated in five games.

Tiago Splitter Shares Plans For Matas Buzelis

GettyMatas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a dunk against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at the United Center on October 22, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.

Speaking at his introductory press conference, Tiago Splitter was asked questions about his coaching style and plans for next season.

One of the questions involved Matas Buzelis, who is considered one of the core young players of the Chicago Bulls. Splitter shared his plans for Buzelis next season, praising the 21-year-old forward as a “complete” player.

“I’ve been studying him more and more, getting to know him,” Splitter said, via Elias Schuster of Sports Illustrated. “We’re going to work every day hard to get him to be the best player he can be. I think nobody knows yet what his ceiling is. He’s going to show slowly the player that he’s going to be, and we’re not going to stop working.”

“He’s the complete package. You got to work everything and see on the day to day where he can effect better. We see him as a very complete basketball player.”

Splitter did wonders for Deni Avdija in Portland, turning him into an All-Star this season. Avdija averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists, becoming the Blazers’ breakout star and best player.

Buzelis has a similar build to Avdija, though he’s more athletic and more of a scorer than a playmaker. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks in 77 games.

Chicago Bulls’ Young Core

GettyJosh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on December 23, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The Chicago Bulls had a promising start last season before falling off immediately. They were filled with inconsistencies, though there were some positives despite the 31-win season.

The Bulls have a really good young core composed of Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue. They also have four picks in this year’s draft, including the No. 4 and No. 15 picks.

According to Heavy Sports’ NBA Mock Draft by Sean Deveney, the Bulls are projected to get Caleb Wilson of North Carolina with the fourth overall pick. Wilson is a perfect complementary player to Buzelis and Giddey, capable of playing the power forward position.

For the No. 15 pick, the Bulls are predicted to select Karim Lopez out of the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL. Lopez has a lot of upside, but he’s expected to fall out of the lottery.