2024 NBA Draft Prospect: Matas Buzelis

Matas Buzelis brings versatile scoring inside, as well as some help defense from the forward position.

2024 NBA Draft prospect: Matas Buzelis (G-League Ignite)

Height without shoes, Weight, and Age when NBA season begins: 6’9”, 197 pounds, 19 years old

Standing reach: 8’10” | Wingspan: 6’10”

Mock average: 5.6

NBA player ranking for access to combine information: 2nd - 6th (for teams drafting 1st to 15th)

Buzelis’ shot chart

By @PaulGarciaNBA

4 Observations

1. Inside the Arc - In the open court, Buzelis is crafty in getting through a defender and finishing on the break with layups or some monstrous dunks. He has different ways of trying to get to the rim in the halfcourt, whether by post-up, taking his defender off the dribble, or being open in the dunker spot and finishing a dunk at the rim. He’s shown some flashes of being able to score from the mid-range, with either a step-back jumper from there, or turnaround out of the post. When he’s off the ball, Buzelis stays active when shots are put up, with his ability to get some offensive putbacks. There are times though when he may not get where he wants to, and part of that will be him continuing to bulk up his strength in the coming years at the NBA level.

2. Outside Shooting - Buzelis isn’t afraid to take the spot-up shot. If he’s open, he’ll launch the shot. He shot fairly well from the corners, but, overall, most of the defenders guarding him chose to leave him open from distance. He’ll need to continue to work on his shooting going forward.

3. Interior Defense - Buzelis uses his length well inside the paint, whether defending his matchup, or being available to help teammates with blocks from the weakside. When his matchup tries to take him off the dribble, he shuffles his feet well and is able to contest the shot that’s put up over him inside.

4. Perimeter Defense - While Buzelis mainly played the 4 with G-League Ignite, he had the length and quickness to switch onto guards and wings if he needed to. Out on the perimeter, he keeps his hands active and as mentioned inside the arc, he shuffles his feet outside and is able to play in different P&R coverages. He can drop and switch out on the perimeter, and while he may not have the foot speed to stay with some guards, he’s at least able to get a solid contest on perimeter jumpers.

What do other draft experts say about Buzelis?

• Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer: Spacer, feel for the game, float game, off-ball defense

• Jeremy Woo of ESPN: Versatile forward

• Krysten Peek of Yahoo! Sports: Good size and can play inside or outside the paint

• NBA Draft Room: All-around talent who can dribble, pass, and shoot

What are Buzelis’ NBA comps?

• My comps: Flashes of Rui Hachimura

• Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer: Shades of Lamar Odom

• NBADraftRoom.com: Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Read about other Draft Prospects: Alexandre Sarr | Zaccharie Risacher | Nikola Topic | Ron Holland | Rob Dillingham | Stephon Castle | Dalton Knecht | Reed Sheppard | Donovan Clingan

How would Buzelis fit on the San Antonio Spurs?