Home/College Basketball

“He came, he saw, he conquered.” The quotation fits well with the NBA draft prospect Matas Buzelis. The 19-year-old did not play college basketball and hence he was not noticed by many. But as the date for the 2024 NBA Draft approaches closer, analysts suddenly see the emergence of a Lithuanian-American baller who swept everyone with his athleticism.

But since Buzelis hasn’t been in the mainstream media, fans do not know much about him. Today Essentially Sports takes a look at Buzelis and his physical attributes and stats, which make him a complete fit for the NBA 2024.

Matas Buzelis stunned everyone at the combine

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The 19-year-old is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 95 kg. The advantage of Buzelis is that despite having a tall frame, he is extremely athletic. Therefore, fans are excited to watch him get drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and pair up with the NBA 2023 draft’s number one pick Victor Wembanyama. 

Even in the NBA draft Combine, Buzelis was a treat to watch for the analysts since he had a vertical leap of 38 inches and he moved with a lane agility time of 10.73 seconds. Other than that, Buzelis has a shuttle run of 2.9 seconds and a three-quarter sprint of 3.09 seconds. Therefore, whatever team drafts Buzelis will be happy to have such a skilled baller with them.

Furthermore, Buzelis has a wingspan of 8 feet 8.75 inches. All these attributes make him an explosive small forward/ power forward and Buzelis sure seems to have capitalized on his talent. His high school stats and G League Ignite numbers are a testament to the same.

High School & G League Stats

Buzelis attended the Hinsdale Central High School and plied his trade for the sophomore team even though he was still a freshman. However, there was growing concern regarding the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under such circumstances, Buzelis chose to transfer to the Brewster Academy where he averaged 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest. His hard work and determination resulted in him winning a spot with the Team World at the Nike Hoop Summit.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SLAM HIGH SCHOOL (@slam_hs)

During his senior year, Buzelis chose to transfer to the Sunrise Christian Academy. There he averaged a whopping 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was also named in the Jordan Brand Classic and a McDonald’s All-American in 2023. Therefore, it was surprising when he didn’t accept a chance to play with programs such as the Kentucky Wildcats, the North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida State, and Wake Forest. Instead, Buzelis chose to go to the NBA G League Ignite.

In the G League, Buzelis appeared in 26 games and started in all of them, scoring 14.3 points with 6.9 rebounds per contest in 32 minutes on the floor. Other than that, he had 2.1 blocks and 1.9 assists per game. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

All these numbers make him a favorite for the Spurs and, as mentioned before, the latest mock draft states that he could go in at the number four position. It would exhilarate the fans if he gets a chance to pair up with Victor Wembanyama. Hopefully, he will fulfill the analysts’ prophecies and be as valuable a player for the Spurs as he has been throughout his career.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad