Chicago Bulls select Matas Buzelis in 2024 NBA Draft

After a year with G League Ignite, Matas Buzelis is heading to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Buzelis averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.1 blocks in his lone season with the Ignite while shooting 44.5% from the field. He also earned an appearance in the Rising Stars game during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, where scored seven points and hit game-winning bucket to seal the victory over a team of NBA rookies.

A McDonald’s All-American, Buzelis chose the G League path over offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State and Wake Forest at the college level. Ultimately, he thought the G League route fit what he wanted from his career, he told On3’s Joe Tipton.

“It was very hard,” Buzelis said of his decision. “I feel like if you have an Ignite offer, you’re kind of scared to do it. It was hard because, you know, everyone picks college but I felt like this was perfect for me. … I just had a gut feeling with doing this and I always go with my gut.

“I just felt that it was best for me. It was the coaching staff and the love and connection we had when we met. Just how they practice and everything. It’s all about development for me.

Buzelis – a Chicago native – played high school basketball at Sunrise Christian (Kan.), where he was a Five Star Plus+ prospect, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NBA Draft analysts are saying about Matas Buzelis

At 6-foot-10, Matas Buzelis came in as a projected lottery pick ahead of the NBA Draft. But he’s not a complete product after shooting 22% from three-point distance. That, according to On3’s James Fletcher III, will likely be a focal point of his development in the association.

“Matas Buzelis entered the season as one of the top prospects, but injuries and a general struggle which plagued the entire G-League Ignite team dropped his stock significantly,” Fletcher wrote. “The 6-foot-10 forward has skills which promise to translate well to the NBA, but he is likely not ready to make an immediate impact. Shooting just 22.2% from 3 also leaves question marks he must answer.

“The Buzelis market has not been one that has drawn widespread movement to this point, as he remains steady in where he has been projected to land.”