The Offensive Value Proposition of Matas Buzelis
The G League Ignite is full of talent this season with players like Ron Holland, London Johnson, Tyler Smith, Izan Almansa, Babacar Sane, and of course Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis is a 6-foot-10 wing for Ignite and is widely considered one of the top prospects in the projected 2024 NBA Draft class. He played at Sunrise Christian last year and is a first-generation American, as both of his parents are from Lithuania. According to 247.com, Buzelis was the No. 7 overall recruit in his 2023 high school class.
Let's take a look at how the G League prospect can provide value on the offensive end for an NBA team.
Immediate Projection: Stationary Shooter who can attack closeouts consistently
Catch-And-Shoot Threes
The most important component of being a stationary shooter is the ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes. From a production standpoint, Buzelis has proven he can do just that as he converted 42.2% of his three-point attempts on 3.8 attempts per game in the NIBC (National Interscholastic Basketball Conference) this past season for Sunrise Christian. Perhaps more importantly, from a statistical indicator angle of evaluation, Buzelis shot 81% from the free throw line in the NIBC this past season. The reason why this could be considered more important is that college free throw percentage has shown to be a more accurate indicator of future ability to shoot NBA 3-pointers than college. Although this is extrapolating the study to high school statistics, the same point and indicators remain the same. Lastly, below we dive into the film.
Buzelis consistently uses a left-right footwork to get into his catch-and-shoot. His energy transfer is fluid and his form is consistent from shot-to-shot. Additionally, being 6-foot-10 makes his jumper very difficult to contest.
It should be noted that Buzelis has shown flashes of hitting threes off of pindowns and movement as well.
Attacking Closeouts/Driving Ability
Defenders will be forced to conduct hard closeouts due to Buzelis' 6-foot-10 stature and shooting ability. His ability to take defenders off the dribble and attack these hard closeouts could be another area where he can provide value.
At the moment, Buzelis does his best to self-create by driving to the rim often. While he currently shouldn't be asked to create advantages off-the-dribble, the flashes he's shown on drives leads me to believe he can at least provide value when attacking closeouts in the NBA. At his size the combination of catch-and-shoot ability with even flashes of putting the ball on the floor is valuable.
He also appears to have been working on his ability to drive more consistently, as his three best plays as a driver all come within the Ignite's first matchup against Perth three weeks ago. Lastly, Buzelis has shown flashes of playmaking ability off of his drives -- illustrated in his dump off on one of his drives above. The baseline passing and driving ability he possesses will be valuable when attacking closeouts.
Another Way Buzelis Can Provide Offensive Value
Play-Finishing
Another way Buzelis can provide value to an NBA offense is as a play-finisher. He's shown flashes of off-ball cutting and vertical finishing that could help him fulfill this role.
Two Improvement Areas Offensively for Buzelis
Tightening Handle
One area that would help improve Buzelis' driving ability is tightening his handle. There are two things that are currently limiting his handle at the moment: his upright stature at times when driving and trying to do too much on drives. While not the easiest thing to do at 6-foot-10, if he made one move to the rim and kept it simple and lower to the ground, Buzelis' drives would undoubtedly be more effective.
Improving Upper-Body Strength
A specific area where Buzelis improving his upper-body strength would be beneficial is his ability to absorb contact when finishing at the rim. Illustrated in these two clips below, he attempts to finish at the rim through contact three times yet cannot get a quality angle due to him being pushed off his attempt by a lack of upper-body strength. Ensuring he can finish through contact will secure his ability to provide value as a play-finisher in the NBA and will help him finish drives.
Conclusion
Overall, Buzelis is an extremely talented player that is very versatile on the offensive end of the floor. He's likely to start out as a stationary shooter who can be used in corners. As a result of this, he can use both his driving and playmaking ability when attacking closeouts to get a bucket for himself or create for others. If he improves his upper-body strength, his finishing at the rim off of drives will improve and he will provide value as a play-finisher. Improving his upper-body strength could also lead to him being put in more pick-and-pop situations as a big, leading to open threes. His versatility could allow him to be both a ball-handler and roller at the next level if he continues to improve. Additionally, as his handle continues to improve, there's a world where Buzelis can create rim pressure with consistency and subsequently use his playmaking ability off of those drives to create for teammates.
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