The Chicago Bulls kept it close to home with their selection in the NBA draft, taking local product Matas Buzelis with the No. 11 pick Wednesday night.
A versatile 6-foot-9 wing, Buzelis will bulk up the frontcourt alongside center Nikola Vučević. Buzelis averaged 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds last year for G League Ignite, the NBA’s attempt at a pre-professional league that folded after four seasons.
On the draft-room floor at the Barclays Center in New York City, Buzelis was overcome with tears as he accepted a Bulls hat from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, then presented it to his brother Vince.
“I’m ready to win, man,” Buzelis said in an on-air ESPN interview. “I was born for this.”
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Buzelis played one year of high school ball at Hinsdale Central before transferring to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and then Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. He grew up watching the Derrick Rose era of the Bulls, citing the guard as a “big impact on Chicago basketball” that inspired him as a young fan in the city. After a standout freshman season at Hinsdale Central, Buzelis received an offer from Illinois before he played a minute of varsity ball.
During the predraft process, the Bulls front office attended a private workout with Buzelis in Los Angeles. But the rookie still didn’t expect his hometown team to select him Wednesday.
“It means the world,” Buzelis said. “Me being born and raised there, it just makes it so much better. It means everything to me. I can’t even explain it.”
An energetic athlete with strong passing vision, Buzelis cited his shot-blocking and ability to push the tempo in transition as two key areas that will translate immediately to the NBA. He averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.9 assists per game for G League Ignite, a program that is difficult to fully assess because of the dysfunction that led to its shuttering this year.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas described Buzelis as a player who can adapt well to the modern NBA trend toward multipositional wings, providing both frontcourt depth and perimeter play.
“His versatility, it’s very evident,” Karnišovas said. “(He brings) size and athleticism and versatility. He can put it on the floor. And then switchability. He averaged more than two blocks per game. I don’t know exactly what to expect next year, but I know (he’s) going to be on the floor and (he’s) very versatile.”
Despite such promise, Buzelis is yet another shooting project the Bulls have chosen to take on through the draft process. He averaged only 27.3% on 3.4 attempts from behind the arc. The Bulls went with low-efficiency shooters in the last two drafts — Julian Phillips in the 2023 second round and Dalen Terry in the 2022 first round — as they remain a perennial bottom-feeder in 3-point production.
Buzelis acknowledged he hopes to improve his shooting and strength in his rookie season.
“Whatever the coach tells me to do, I’m going to do to the best of my abilities,” Buzelis said. “I’m ready to work. I’m ready to give them my all.”
Welcome home @MatasBuzelis , wishing you the best with @chicagobulls but never forget your @RedDevilsAD roots#HCBringYourFire https://t.co/Crb2d7fmLv pic.twitter.com/tNAmSSQ1gX
— Hinsdale Central HS (@ThisIsHCHS) June 27, 2024
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Buzelis grew up in a basketball family — his grandfather played in Lithuanian and USSR professional leagues, his mother was a standout in the Lithuanian youth system and his father worked for the Lithuanian national team after playing professionally in his home country. Buzelis’ father became familiar with Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas during his time working for the Lithuanian national team and their families remained connected in Chicago.
Despite that upbringing, Buzelis chased a different passion up until eighth grade: swimming. Although he started playing AAU with the Full Package program during sixth grade, it took two more years for Buzelis to fully switch to his family’s favorite sport.
At 19, Buzelis will contribute to a recalibration toward youth after the Bulls front office began shaking up the roster last week by trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Josh Giddey.
This will continue to be a summer of uncertainty for the team after the front office pledged change in the wake of consecutive seasons without a playoff berth. The Bulls still are engaged in negotiations to re-sign with DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams — and could continue to shop Zach LaVine, who missed the majority of last season with a foot injury.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick and the Washington Wizards took Alexandre Sarr with the second pick, continuing a recent wave of French players dominating lottery picks. The Bulls stayed put in the draft order despite reports they were considering a variety of trades.
The draft concludes with the second round Thursday afternoon. The Bulls currently do not own another pick.