Matas Buzelis was cleared on the Sunday, Oct. 11 injury report, lifting the day-to-day tag he had carried since Oct. 9 for a right ankle and leg issue. He is set to play as the Bulls open their season at the Nuggets.
What happened
Buzelis was cleared on the Chicago Bulls' injury report on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9:21 p.m. ET, lifting the day-to-day status he had carried since Friday, Oct. 9 for a right ankle and leg issue. The report listed no further detail and no comment. Buzelis had gone from day-to-day to cleared over two days. With the clearance, there is no out or questionable tag attached to him, and no expected return date applies.
What it means for the Bulls
Buzelis is in line for Chicago's opener at the Nuggets on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Last season he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.2 minutes across 77 games, and the clearance keeps that production in the lineup rather than pushing more minutes onto Josh Giddey, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro or Ayo Dosunmu, who logged time without him. The Bulls are 0-0, with no regular-season games played yet this season, so there is no with-or-without record to cite.
What to watch
No expected return timeline applies since Buzelis is cleared, not out. The next injury report will show whether the ankle issue resurfaces as Chicago opens its season at Denver. Teammates Tre Jones, Jaylin Sellers, Zach Collins and Nic Claxton are still day-to-day on the same report, keeping the Bulls' injury picture unsettled heading into the opener.
Is Matas Buzelis playing at Nuggets?
Yes. Buzelis was cleared on the Sunday, Oct. 11 injury report, removing the day-to-day tag for a right ankle and leg issue, ahead of Chicago's opener at Denver.
When will Matas Buzelis be back?
He is already back. The Bulls cleared Buzelis on Oct. 11, and no expected return date applies since he is not listed as out or questionable.