Matas Buzelis was once considered the early favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He chose the G League Ignite path over several college offers, so he has not received the same amount of spotlight and name recognition among casual basketball fans that college prospects do.
Couple that with ankle injuries that contributed to an up-and-down season, and Buzelis has fallen out of the No. 1 conversation. That does not mean he’s no longer one of the top all-around prospects in this class.
Those who have watched Buzelis rave about his touch in the midrange, and he’s great in transition. He offers a very good wingspan, which helped him rack up 2.1 blocks per game this past season.
The Lithuanian-American comes from multiple generations of basketball players, which speaks to not only Buzelis’ pedigree, but also his basketball IQ and feel for the game. His physical traits combined with his IQ highlight his position flexibility.
His slim, narrow form and lankiness stand out and he’ll need to bulk up to hang with NBA wings. He made only 27.3 percent of his threes and 67.9 percent of his free throws in the G League regular season.
Buzelis should help an NBA team defensively right away as a rookie. The question — one of the biggest in this draft — is what his ceiling will be.
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Three best fits for Matas Buzelis in 2024 NBA Draft
- Detroit Pistons (5th overall): Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey need another option to dish the ball to, and it’s reported that the Pistons’ front office is high on him.
- Portland Trail Blazers (7th overall): Someone like Buzelis would really space the floor for the Scoot Henderson/Anfernee Simons backcourt in Portland.
- Chicago Bulls (11th overall): The Chicago native could land with his hometown team and give the Bulls great size and two-way ability on the wing.
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Matas Buzelis tale of the tape
NBA Draft Combine measurements
- Height: 6-8 3/4
- Weight: 197.0
- Wingspan: 6-10
- Reach: 8-9 1/2