How Bulls forward Matas Buzelis is handling the dog days of the NBA season

It’s hard being a rookie in the NBA.

From being outmatched physically to the mental toll of learning multiple offensive and defensive schemes, it’s a load to handle. January marks the start of the dog days of the NBA season, when rookies start to feel the toll of the 82-game marathon.

Bulls forward Matas Buzelis played 26 games in the G League last season. He already has played more NBA games than that this season (36). Developing a routine helps young players adjust to the league.

‘‘What becomes really important is how well they can take care of themselves and sleep and eat right,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘But it’s a long year, so I do think that the duration of that, guys definitely get affected by it. But to a certain extent, a lot of it is the mental more than the physical.”

Donovan cited the toll of travel, studying scouting reports and absorbing information at rapid rates as reasons rookies hit a wall.

Buzelis is also on a team filled with veterans, so he doesn’t always have a consistent role from night to night. Still, he has learned to prepare for each game as though he’s going to play.

‘‘Watching film, keeping my body right,’’ Buzelis said of his off-court regimen. ‘‘Your health is your wealth, but just staying mentally ready, being ready all the time. [Forward Torrey Craig and guard Jevon Carter] always talk to me about that: ‘Stay ready.’ ’’

There’s no single correct method to player development in the NBA. Playing a lot early doesn’t necessarily correlate to long-term success, nor does playing limited minutes on a mediocre team with a lot of veterans.

That being said, the Wizards are in a completely different position with their rookies than the Bulls are. Whereas the Bulls are playing Buzelis in spurts, trying to use him in specific spots to ensure he doesn’t wear down physically, the Wizards have leaned into the youth movement. Rookies Carlton Carrington and Alexandre Sarr are third and fifth on the team in minutes on the team, respectively.

‘‘One of the big things we talk about with our group, specifically our young ones, is we’re trying to stack habits for them at the early part of the season,’’ Wizards coach Brian Keefe said.

Having the right mentality is vital for NBA success, too, and Buzelis seems to have the right wiring to last in the NBA.

‘‘One thing about me, I’m never going to stop growing,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘I promise you I’m going to figure it out.’’

Dosunmu update

Guard Ayo Dosunmu is close to returning from a calf injury. The Bulls hope he will be back sometime on their five-game homestand.

Dosunmu had a setback while running on a treadmill during the recovery process but since has crossed that hurdle.

‘‘He’s doing on-court stuff, but because he’s been out for an extended period of time, there’s going to be this ramp-up that he’s got to continually show progress in and be able to get through without having any discomfort,’’ Donovan said.

Defensive upswing

Entering the game against the Wizards, the Bulls had a 112.8 defensive rating, good for 12th in the NBA.

Donovan said more physicality has been responsible for the defensive turnaround.