Matas Bouzelis “harshly” acknowledged the All-Star’s goals as the Bulls rebuild their roster

After a series of trades which he left Chicago Bulls unrecognizable, sophomore guard Matas Buzelis is one of the last remaining famous faces.

Bouzelis carries much of the load for the Bulls in terms of offense and presence. Overall, he has shown consistency during a very busy transition period. Bouzelis is averaging 15.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 58 games played.

Recently, Bouzelis was chosen for his second NBA Rising Star Game during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Still, it’s been a real adjustment for him not playing alongside those who helped him during his freshman year. Among them were Kobe White, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic. All have been exchanged.

But Bouzelis told ClutchPoints that while getting used to the newcomers has been difficult, he accepts it as part of basketball.

“It was difficult at first, of course,” Bouzelis said. “It’s a whole group of new guys, and I keep telling everybody it is what it is. We have to get over it. It happened, trades happened, and now we have this group here, so what are we going to do about it? Are we going to get high and get down on ourselves? No, we have to come together and fight.”

Matas Bouzelis is candid about his future aspirations

Right now, the Bulls are in a tough spot. They are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. They are 24-34, and their new roster is still finding its groove.

But Bouzelis remains focused on the task at hand. For him, victory is above all else. And he also maintains a philosophy of “not ‘I'” in the team.

During the All-Star break, Bouzelis hinted wanting to play in the All-Star Game in the future, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, he doesn’t focus on how much he’s trying to win here and now.

“It all comes back to winning,” Bouzelis said. “You have to win playing in the NBA. It’s a little rough, but I really don’t care. I want to win as a group, and basketball is a team sport. It’s not individual, so we have to win first.”

That desire to win goes back to his days growing up in Chicago. For Bouzelis, whatever he does, he wants to win. In the process, Bouzelis credits his parents for instilling that mindset in him.

“I want to win in everything I do,” Bouzelis said. “It’s not just basketball. I could play golf or I want to win. It’s just in my nature, how my mom and dad raised me growing up.”

The Bulls will play the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday—a game that will see Bouzelis reunited with Kobe White after his trade to Charlotte.