“Situational Evaluation” is a sequence of articles that seeks to look at the circumstances that the majority usually affect an NBA prospect’s success. Every participant shall be scored on a scale from 1-10 in 4 completely different classes: NBA-specific ability(s), deadly flaw(s), collegiate/abroad/pre-NBA atmosphere, and best NBA ecosystem.
Matas Buzelis is a 19-year-old ahead from Chicago who averaged 14.3 factors, 6.9 rebounds, and a couple of.1 blocks for G League Ignite. He’s anticipated to be chosen in the midst of the lottery. NBADraft.web presently has him projected at No. 5.
NBA-Particular Abilities
When his sport is firing on all cylinders, Matas Buzelis has the overall package deal.
Buzelis may have stretches the place it looks as if the sport comes exceptionally simple to him. Watch him rotate for a weakside shot block, tip the ball to a teammate, get it again on a delayed break, cross over his defender and kick it to an open shooter. Watch him flash right into a delicate spot within the protection and rise for an unblockable midrange jumper. Watch his non-verbal communication with a teammate for a candy give-and-go – both because the passer or because the cutter.
There’s a lot to love right here from a uncooked abilities standpoint and from the harder-to-quantify “feels the sport” standpoint. Buzelis has a relaxed circulation and a aptitude to his sport that may remind you of Paul George on the best evening. After all, he’ll doubtless by no means be the go-to scorer or the on-ball defensive menace George is, however some gamers make it appear to be basketball is second nature to them. They by no means appear to be overthinking it or stressing out – they only act and react as if it’s as pure as blinking or respiratory.
Some gamers with that mentality/method can get unfairly tagged with the “lackadaisical” observe within the scout’s pocket book, who confuse ease with nonchalance. Buzelis performs with a refined nasty streak and competes laborious, even in opposition to gamers with way more bulk and power.
He’s removed from a completed product, however his mixture of courtroom savvy, basketball IQ, size, ball abilities, and competitiveness are laborious to search out.
On a scale from 1-10, Buzelis’s well-rounded sport charges at an 8.5.
Deadly Flaws
Simply think about if Buzelis may shoot. He would possibly go No. 1 total.
Because it stands, his capturing struggles would possibly place a tough cap on how efficient he might be on the NBA stage. Perimeter gamers have a tough time surviving within the league with 44/27/68 capturing splits. He shot it significantly better than that in highschool (senior season capturing splits: 54/42/80), so there’s a reasonable expectation that he can shoot it significantly better than he did with G League Ignite. However we’ve got seen savvy perimeter playmakers with Buzelis’s bodily profile (Franz Wagner, Josh Giddey) undergo capturing swoons and lose confidence as quickly as defenses began taking part in 10 ft away, daring them to shoot.
Though Buzelis initiatives as a strong secondary playmaker, he posted a unfavorable help/turnover ratio with Ignite, getting a bit free together with his dribble and attempting to make spectacular performs when easy ones will suffice.
Maybe most necessary, Buzelis must get stronger. He struggles to complete on the rim and de doesn’t get to the road a lot. Defensively, he’s significantly better off the ball than in one-on-one conditions proper now, as he isn’t probably the most laterally fast defender. Smaller gamers with a low middle of gravity may also benefit from Buzelis in one-on-one matchups.
I count on these points to clean themselves out as Buzelis matures and grows into his physique. The capturing, nevertheless, would be the bellwether on his potential. If Buzelis regains his highschool capturing contact, he could possibly be a dynamic offensive weapon and the steal of this draft. But when the capturing struggles that plagued his G League season observe him to the NBA, he may need a tough time carving out a distinct segment.
On a scale from 1 (not a priority) to 10 (severe hindrance), Buzelis’s inconsistent capturing charges at a 9.
Pre-NBA Setting
Buzelis comes from a deep Lithuanian athletic heritage and can proceed to symbolize Lithuania in future worldwide competitions. He grew up in Chicago and starred in a number of sports activities earlier than turning his focus to basketball (rising to 6-foot-9 will usually do this).
He stood out on highschool groups in Illinois and New Hampshire earlier than transferring to Dawn Christian Academy in Kansas and exploding onto the nationwide recruiting scene. He was a consensus top-10 recruit and no-brainer selection for the McDonald’s All-American crew. He selected G League Ignite over scholarship provides from a number of high-major packages and performed main minutes with the ball in his fingers for a lot of these video games. But it surely’s virtually unattainable to inform what sort of participant Buzelis initiatives to be from these 26 G League video games, as that crew now not exists. It’s not like these video games got here with numerous stress/stakes hooked up. They had been showcases – nothing extra.
It has been clear from practically each stage of his growth that Buzelis could be a major basketball participant. He has all of the instruments within the toolbox – some simply want just a little bit of additional consideration.
On a scale from 1-10, Buzelis’s pre-NBA profession charges at an 8.5 – he’s clearly a great participant, however it will have been useful to see him play in some video games that mattered this previous yr.
Perfect NBA Ecosystem
Thirty NBA groups want the participant Buzelis initiatives to be – versatile 6-9 wing with rising ball abilities and defensive upside – however not all of them have the infrastructure to carry his sport into focus.
My private favourite touchdown spot for Buzelis is in San Antonio. He performs a place of serious want for the Spurs and would carry a desperately wanted sprint of playmaking/ball-moving to a Victor Wembanyama-centric franchise. I additionally love the concept of Buzelis roaming on the baseline for weakside shotblocking alternatives when groups are already freaked out by Wembanyama. Plus, the Spurs have a decades-long monitor document of serving to gamers uncover/rediscover their soar photographs. It’s a win-win.
Houston would possibly snag him at No. 3 befor the Spurs can get him, nevertheless. Ime Udoka is the sort of coach who can carry the perfect out of Buzelis, and the roster would click on into place with Buzelis on the small ahead, Jabari Smith at energy ahead, and Alperen Sengun at middle. It’s a flexible, high-IQ group that would develop on roughly the identical developmental curve.
Elsewhere within the lottery, it’s laborious to think about him falling previous No. 7 at Portland. It is a guard-heavy roster that’s in determined want of frontcourt assist, significantly if the Blazers ship Jerami Grant to a playoff crew on the commerce deadline.
On a scale from 1-10, Buzelis’s situational dependence is a 9. He has the potential to be the perfect participant from this draft class if a number of issues (particularly his capturing) spherical into form. He wants the best group/coach to assist make that occur.
