Matas Buzelis goes through the hard yards at the gym ahead of key season with Bulls

Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis took to Instagram to show the hard yards he was putting in at the gym ahead of the next season. The forward was seen shirtless and rocking a pair of black shorts as he dutifully pounded deadlifts. The Chicago native comes off a productive Summer League season for the Bulls and is now set to be a key rotation piece in the new-look Windy City unit next season.

Buzelis shared the clip, which was put up on IG by his trainer, who had captioned it as an offseason workout.

Matas Buzelis goes through the hard yards at the gym ahead of a key season with the Bulls

Buzelis averaged 16.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in five games in Las Vegas. He shot 33.7% from the field and 21.7% from downtown. While his shooting is a work in progress, he did display flashes of his potential with his highlight dunks, aggression, and defense.

---

Matas Buzelis earlier called out No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher: "He just doesn't want to see me"

Not the one to mince words, Matas Buzelis threw down the gauntlet to this year's No.1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. In an interview with Shams Charania, he called out the forward saying, "he just doesn't want to see me" in a one-on-one contest between the two top names.

"I respect Zach as a player... He just doesn't want to see me. I'm just keeping it real with everybody."

The 19-year-old made up for his disappointing season with the Ignite. In 26 games, he propped up 14.3 points and 1.9 assists. He also shot just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc.

One of the biggest concerns with Buzelis has been his 3-point shooting — a concern that has plagued the Bulls the whole of last season. With Zach LaVine's future in limbo, there's already a lack of firepower on that end, and now they will hope that their rookie improves on that aspect of the game.

Matas Buzelis had his formative years in Willowbrook, Illinois, a few miles away from Chicago. He played for Hinsdale Central High School, suiting up for the sophomore team. He played at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire later, and Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas during the senior season.

Given his mixed run leading up to his NBA debut, it will be interesting to see how Buzelis fares for the new-look Bulls come October.