The Chicago Bulls went with a hometown product in the 2024 NBA Draft.
With the 11th pick in Wednesday’s proceedings, the Bulls selected 19-year-old wing Matas Buzelis out of G-League Ignite. The 19-year-old started his high school career at Hinsdale Central before transferring to a prep school during the pandemic.
From there, he played with the Ignite, and although the team struggled mightily, Buzelis showed flashes.
Scouting report
Bio: Big Wing, G League Ignite, 19.7 years old
Measurements: 6’8.75″, 197 lbs, 6’10” wingspan, 38 inch vertical
Per 75 possession stats: 16.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.4 blocks
Shooting efficiency: 44.5 FG%, 27.3 3PT%, 67.9 FT%, 54.6 TS%
Gottlieb Big Board: 6
Consensus Mock Draft Position: 5.4
Sales pitch: Buzelis is wiry, physical big wing who plays with an edge. He’s got great size and length and will throw down windmill dunks mid-game. For someone his size, it’s exciting to see the ball handling and creation flashes, even if they are a ways away from fully developing.
Buzelis is still very raw and needs to sharpen the skill elements of his game to reach his potential. But the Bulls got great value with him falling to the 11th pick.
Strengths:
- Tools: Buzelis is still pretty skinny, but he’s got a good frame to pair with a long wingspan and explosive vertical
- Rim protection: He’s not yet a stopper on the perimeter, but Buzelis thrives sliding over from the weak side to contest and deter shots.
- Upside: The Bulls need to identify talent, and Buzelis, if he can tap into the shooting and ball handling areas of his game, has potential to become a very productive player at a premium position.
Questions:
- Shooting: Though he shot over 40 percent on threes at Sunrise Christian, Buzelis was inconsistent and inaccurate with the NBA-range three-point line in the G League. His creation skills aren’t developed enough yet to where he can overcome being a poor shooter, so he needs to improve in that area of his game.
- Ball handling: Buzelis can put the ball on the floor and create, but he does best when he has a premade advantage. He needs to improve his side-to-side mobility and ball handling to be able to break down defenses one-on-one
Draft Grade: A
Arturas Karnisovas speaks on the pick
“I didn’t plan for Buzelis,” Arturas Karnisovas said. “It just worked out that way. Very versatile wing. Watched him all year. I take my role of reshaping this team very seriously. Everything is on the table.”
With an average draft position of 5.4, it was surprising to see Buzelis fall into the Bulls laps at 11. But Karnisovas was patient and prepared to strike on his guy, even if a little tired from a long days work.
“You spend weeks and weeks studying those guys,” Karnisovas said. “You expect certain guys to go earlier before you and certain guys drop. We were patient. The 11th pick, that’s what we had picked the highest. We made a selection and were really happy to see him there. Can’t you tell? I’m very happy. It’s been a long day. Sorry.”
After noting the Chicago area and Lithuanian connections, Karnisovas highlighted Buzelis’ physicality and versatility, noting that those are critical traits with the way the NBA is trending.
“Well, he played against men, right?,” Karnisovas posed. “So the one thing that Ignite team got beat up and a lot of those guys came from winning programs. They didn’t win many games but they competed against grown men. So I think physicality and as close as you can get to an NBA game, that’s what he experienced in G League. Hopefully that translates to the NBA for him faster. But he has a lot to work on and he’s looking forward to it.”
Buzelis was a high-level prospect, but he’s still quite raw. He struggled as a shooter at the G League level, making only 27.3 percent of his threes on relatively low volume. But the tools are there. And if he can develop those areas of his game, they can go a long way towards unlocking some of his strengths.
Versatility is key moving forward.
“It’s versatility,” Karnisovas said of the traits he is looking for as he reshapes the roster. “It’s very evident. In terms of his position, our league is moving towards multi-positional wings, just size and athleticism and versatility. Can put it on the floor. And then switchability. He averaged more than 2 blocks per game.”
The front office still has a lot of work to do in reshaping the roster. Though he wouldn’t commit to anything, Karnisovas has clearly prioritized upside, youth, and size in his two transactions since the season ended.
We’ll have to wait and see what comes next, but for now, Buzelis figures to be a fixture of the young core moving forward.
