Matas Buzelis, the number nine ranked recruit is currently bypassing the decision to go college and enter the NBA’s development league.
The G-League Ignite is the team of choice for the Brewster Academy (New Hampshire) star over Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina University. By turning pro, he will be given the ability to advance his development more quickly.
Given his stature, Buzelis is very skillful, clever, and extremely fluid with the ball. He tends to show off his ball handling abilities while in the half court and takes good transitional leadership. His ambidextrous abilities allows him to make excellent one-handed passes from off the dribble which is also enhanced by his great floor vision.
Buzelis is the kind of talent that NBA head offices are hoping to add to their teams. At 6-foot-9, he has a solid offensive skill set which includes the capacity to not only score at all three levels but also serve as a reliable playmaker.
While attacking baseline, specifically during pass and kick scenarios, he spreads the ball effectively. Buzelis is a great ball handler who can exploit defensive mismatches and dribble to the basket without totally relying on the triple threat.
Great ball handling when he changes his speed. He can launch the attack after snatching a rebound. Buzelis understands when to spread the field and whether to cut or rotate, and can play with or without the ball. His athletic ability is impressive and he shows the ability to be quite agile. Buzelis also has shown the ability to jump effectively with any foot or both.
Buzelis has excellent bounce after euro-stepping and makes spectacular dunks when he reaches the rim. He tries to dunk in the packed paint without fear. He also has great body control when it comes to
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bending in the air for finishes. He is spectacular when it comes to covering a lot of territory and usually reacts well to the defense on drives with euro-steps. It does not matter whether he drives well to his left or right and uses counters effectively when necessary.
Yet, he has a lot of room to grow both in terms of upper and lower body strength. Buzelis sometimes loses the ball while working in confined spaces due to contact and at other times he loses the ball because of the contact he has at the rim.
When he finally transfers to the G-League in a year, absorbing contact against fully grown and athletically developed professionals it will be a significant adaptation, a huge contrast to what he’s now experiencing on a daily basis.
Despite having a low turnover rate given his volume and role with the ball, Matas Buzelis has a poor assist to turnover margin and could increase it if he plans to play the point while at the higher level.
