Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis suffered a right ankle sprain during a preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies on October 9, 2026. He was ruled out for the remainder of that contest and his availability for the regular season opener is now in question. The injury occurred during a defensive play in the first quarter, and Buzelis attempted to play through the discomfort before ultimately exiting for good in the second period.
Buzelis tweaked his right ankle while landing after blocking a shot from Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells with 8:52 left in the first quarter. He left the court briefly but returned to action, trying to play through the issue. The pain persisted, and with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter, he headed to the locker room for good. The team officially listed him out for the rest of the night shortly after halftime.
In his 12 minutes of action, Buzelis scored 6 points on 3-of-6 shooting and recorded 1 block. Head coach Tiago Splitter said postgame he only knew the forward was "sore"and had no further update on the severity. Further evaluation is pending."Now, there is going to be more structure. Everyone is in a role," Buzelis said during media day. He emphasized his daily intent to improve and become the best player he can be. An ankle sprain now disrupts that key preseason preparation rhythm. The team's recent preseason results include a 124-117 win over Phoenix, a 100-104 loss to Memphis where Buzelis got hurt, and a 133-128 loss to Denver on October 11.
The immediate focus is on Buzelis's recovery timeline. Coach Splitter said he did not know if the forward would travel for the team's next preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. The Bulls' final preseason test is an away game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 14. All eyes will be on the injury report to see if Buzelis can suit up.
His goal is undoubtedly to be ready for the regular season opener. The Bulls will need him healthy to establish the early-season consistency he talked about. Fans can track his official status on our injuries page as updates become available. For now, the team exercises patience, hoping the ankle sprain is minor and his absence brief.
