Matas Buzelis

Buzelis is a Lithuanian-American who grew up in Chicago. However, his basketball career has given him many homes. As a junior, Buzelis won 2021-22 New Hampshire Player of the Year. He then transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy for his senior campaign where he was the 2022-23 Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Buzelis was named to the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game and participated in the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend, collecting MVP honors there. He played in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit and the 2023 Jordan Brand Classic, too. Buzelis was a consensus five-star recruit before opting to play for the G League Ignite in 2023-24. He averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals during his first professional campaign and finished with 44.5/27.3/67.9 shooting splits. At 6-foot-10, Buzelis is an excellent ballhander for his size and can finish with authority, but he also has solid touch on his floaters and stepbacks. He looks more comfortable as a catch-and-shoot 3-point option in the corners, but overall, his jumper needs to be more consistent (though his inefficiency for the Ignite was likely a byproduct of a bad team). Buzelis has elite defensive instincts, displaying fantastic patience and timing when contesting shots. He's also agile enough to be a solid perimeter defender. Buzelis turns 20 in October and already has a year of professional ball under his belt, but he still has plenty of room to grow and likely fits best with a rebuilding team. Franz Wagner has carved out a leading role for himself in Orlando, and Buzelis could do the same for a team in the lottery. However, if Buzelis hits another growth spurt and improves his jumper, his elite defensive instincts could put him in a world with Chet Holmgren.