Matas Buzelis Has Chance to Shine with Ron Holland Sidelined for Season
Over the weekend, it was confirmed that Rob Holland — a potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft — would miss the remainder of the season with a thumb injury. A key piece for G League Ignite, this leaves a significant void in the frontcourt.
This is a team that has struggled all season, but will now face the final stretch of the 2023-24 campaign without its top scorer in Holland. He will focus on getting healthy so he can partake in the entire pre-draft process once the season comes to a close.
While this is unfortunate news, it does provide an opportunity for others on the roster. Most notably, Matas Buzelis — a 6-foot-10 wing with the talent to be selected in the top five of this summer’s draft — will have the chance to play more of a primary role with Ignite moving forward.
Buzelis himself missed time at the start of the season due to injury, but has slowly progressed as the season has gone on. To this point, he’s averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The Lithuanian prospect is known for being a quality perimeter shooter with great size, but has really struggled from beyond the arc (22% from deep) in the G League. Given Buzelis is using an NBA ball and shooting from NBA range, this is somewhat expected.
Holland was averaging a team-high 15.5 shot attempts per game before his injury, meaning multiple players will need to step up and carry more of the offensive load. Buzelis has averaged fewer than 10 shot attempts per contest, so expect that to tick up.
If Buzelis is able to increase his volume, improve from beyond the arc and showcase more of his primary creation upside down the stretch of the season, he would significantly increase his draft stock. That’s easier said than done, but the opportunity is there for him.
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