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Matas Buzelis

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Matas Buzelis
No. 14 – Chicago Bulls
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2004-10-13) October 13, 2004 (age 20)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityLithuanian / American
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2024: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–2024NBA G League Ignite
2024–presentChicago Bulls
2024–present→Windy City Bulls
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Matas Arvidas Buzelis (born October 13, 2004) is a Lithuanian-American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2024 NBA draft.

Early life and high school career

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Buzelis grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois. Both of his parents played basketball professionally in Lithuania before immigrating to the United States and settling in the Chicago area.[1] In his childhood Buzelis attended gymnastics school with his brother and sister, later in the same school he attended swimming and had the best results among under–10 and under–12 breaststroke swimmers in the state of Illinois.[2]

Buzelis initially attended Hinsdale Central High School and played on their sophomore team as a freshman.[3] He transferred to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, midway through the start of the first semester of his sophomore year after Hinsdale Central's basketball season was postponed due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] As a junior, Buzelis was named the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game.[5] He was also selected to play for Team World in the 2022 Nike Hoops Summit.[6]

Buzelis transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas before the start of his senior year.[7] During his senior year, he averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.[8]

Buzelis was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.[9] He also took part in the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend and was named the camp's MVP.[10]

Recruiting

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Buzelis was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[11] He ultimately chose to play professionally for NBA G League Ignite.[12][13] Buzelis had also considered playing college basketball for Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State, and Wake Forest.[14]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Matas Buzelis
SF 		Chicago, IL Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) — 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 4  247Sports: 7  ESPN: 5
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

Professional career

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NBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)

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On May 31, 2023, Buzelis officially signed with the NBA G League Ignite.[15][16] During the 2023–24 NBA G League season Buzelis averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.[17]

Chicago Bulls (2024–present)

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Buzelis was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the Chicago Bulls during the 2024 NBA draft.[18][19] Buzelis reportedly worked his way as a projected top 5 in the pre-draft process as teams were interested in his size and feel for the game putting him as a top 5 pick commonly to the Detroit Pistons who decided to go with Ignite teammate Ron Holland. Other teams passed on Buzelis dropping him to his hometown Bulls.[20][21] He signed a rookie-scale contract with the Bulls on July 2, 2024.[22]

Buzelis made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 123-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.[23]

National team career

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On July 21, 2022, Buzelis committed to the Lithuania men's national basketball team for international competitions.[24][25] Later that year the Lithuanian Basketball Federation registered Buzelis in FIBA system as a member of the Lithuanian national team.[26]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA G League

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 NBA G League 26 26 32.0 .448 .273 .679 6.9 2.0 .8 2.1 14.3

Personal life

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One of Buzelis grandfathers, Arvydas Jankauskas, is a former basketball player and coach, while his other grandfather, Petras Buzelis, also is a former basketball player who debuted in Žalgiris Kaunas at 19 years old, later became Žalgiris Kaunas captain and won six Lithuanian League titles and three USSR Premier Basketball League bronze medals.[2] One of Buzelis grandmothers, Elena Buzelienė, is an all-time great Lithuanian handball player who won two European Champions Cups.[2]

Buzelis's mother, Kristina Jankauskaitė, played for Lithuanian youth basketball national teams and was one of the most promising basketball players of her generation.[2] Buzelis father, Aidas Buzelis, is a former basketball player who played for multiple Lithuanian Basketball League clubs and also worked as a massage therapist of the Lithuania men's national basketball team.[2][27]

Buzelis is fluent in Lithuanian in addition to English.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Fowler, Chapel (May 17, 2022). "UNC basketball, Hubert Davis target 5-star recruit Matas Buzelis". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Urbonas, Donatas. "Buzelių DNR: už Atlanto auga įžaidėjas, kokio Lietuvoje nesutiksi". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "Future Illini? Hinsdale Central sophomore Matas Buzelis weighs an offer from Illinois — while waiting to play first varsity game". Chicago Tribune. October 18, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Henricksen, Joe (November 3, 2021). "City/Suburban Hoops Report: The search for a No. 1 in 2023, two-sport powerhouses, prep school threats". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "BREWSTER ACADEMY STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE NEW HAMPSHIRE BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR" (PDF) (Press release). March 16, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Vecenie, Sam (February 14, 2023). "Bronny James, DJ Wagner, 'JuJu' Watkins headline Nike Hoop Summit rosters". The Athletic. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  7. ^ Bossi, Eric (October 6, 2022). "Sunrise Christian has reloaded for the 2022-23 season". 247Sports. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Divens, Jordan (March 29, 2023). "2022-23 MaxPreps All-America Team: Cameron Boozer of Columbus headlines high school basketball's best". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Fair, Daniel (January 24, 2023). "Wichita basketball player named McDonald's All-American". KSN.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  10. ^ "M. Buzeliui atiteko prestižinės NBA stovyklos MVP apdovanojimas". Lrytas.lt (in Lithuanian). February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kentucky, UNC, G League battle for top recruit Matas Buzelis". Lexington Herald Leader. June 8, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  12. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 24, 2022). "Sources: Five-star recruit Matas Buzelis chooses G League Ignite over college". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Conway, Tyler (June 24, 2022). "5-Star PF Matas Buzelis Commits to G League Ignite over Kentucky, Duke, More". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Jones, Andrew (June 2, 2022). "UNC In Matas Buzelis' Top 5". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  15. ^ "Matas Buzelis, projected top pick in 2024 NBA Draft, signs with G League Ignite". The Athletic. May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  16. ^ "McDonald's All-American Matas Buzelis Signs With Ignite". NBA.com. May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  17. ^ "Matas Buzelis". NBA.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "Bulls pick Matas Buzelis at No. 11 in 2024 NBA draft". Chicago Tribune. June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Smith, Sam (June 27, 2024). "Matas Buzelis brings 'size, athleticism, versatility' to Bulls". NBA.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "Is Matas Buzelis Most Realistic Option for Pistons? | Highlights and Live Video from Bleacher Report". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  21. ^ "Popular Detroit Pistons NBA Draft Prospect Lands With Rival Team". Detroit Pistons On SI. June 27, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  22. ^ Adams, Luke (July 3, 2024). "Bulls Sign Matas Buzelis To Rookie Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  23. ^ "Chicago Bulls at New Orleans Pelicans Box Score, October 23, 2024". BasketballRef. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "Five-star recruit Matas Buzelis will represent Lithuania". BasketNews.com. July 21, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  25. ^ LTU Basketball [@LTU_Basketball] (July 21, 2022). "BREAKING NEWS Matas Buzelis has committed to #LTUbasketball national teams and has been registered in FIBA system as Lithuanian" (Tweet). Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "LKF vadovai: Matas Buzelis yra pilnateisis Lietuvos rinktinės narys". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). July 21, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  27. ^ "Rinktinės masažuotojas – apie Kuzminsko ausis ir kūno "įjungimą"". DELFI (in Lithuanian). August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Urbonas, Donatas (February 19, 2023). "MVP tapęs Matas Buzelis – apie žaidimą Lietuvos rinktinėje ir galingą duetą". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved July 1, 2024.
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