The Chicago Bulls are slowly but surely committing to a youth movement especially in the aftermath of the trade that sent away Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings. And it looks as though there is a bright future ahead for the Bulls, if the play of Matas Buzelis, their 2024 first-round selection, on Tuesday night is any indication. Buzelis turned some heads by putting up 24 points during the Bulls’ 133-124 win over the Miami Heat.

Not only did the 20-year-old score a career-high in points for his brief NBA career, he was also as efficient as it can get from the field. He made all 10 of his field-goal attempts, with four of those coming from beyond the arc. The Bulls rookie is making some excellent strides on the offensive side of the ball, and in so doing, managed to set a franchise record.

According to NBA Fantasy on X (formerly known as Twitter), Buzelis became the first rookie in Bulls franchise history to score 20 or more points on 100 percent shooting from the field. Many talented rookies have suited up for the Bulls throughout the course of their history, with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Derrick Rose, among others, plying their trade in the Windy City, but none of those players managed to accomplish the feat Buzelis notched.

The Bulls finally settling on a direction?

Over the past few seasons, there is a bit of confusion regarding the Bulls’ roster direction. As a result, they’ve been treading water, hovering around .500 and not achieving much. But with Zach LaVine having been traded, it should now be clear to fans at least that they are now prioritizing the development of their young players.

Bulls fans should be very excited that, at the very least, the team appears to be building a nice young core that will be supplemented by the talented blue-chip prospect that they’ll be drafting with their first-round pick later this June. Matas Buzelis should be given a bigger role moving forward, and performances like the one he had on Tuesday should only increase the confidence Billy Donovan and company have in him — especially if his personal confidence is going through the roof as well.

“My confidence right now is high, of course. But I’ve got to stay humble. My dad always tells me, ‘The sun comes up tomorrow so you’ve got to go back to work,’” Buzelis said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.