It was a very emotional night for Chicago native Matas Buzelis.
On Wednesday, his hometown Chicago Bulls selected him 11th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. While draft night is special for everyone present, this moment meant a little more to the forward. When Buzelis heard his name called, the emotions were visible on his face as his eyes filled with tears before he hugged his family members who were present and who were equally emotional.
“I’m blessed, man,” Buzelis said immediately after being drafted. “This is what I wanted. I wanted to be here. Thanks to the Bulls organization. I’m ready to work, I was born for this.”
Buzelis is a 6-foot-9 small forward who played for the NBA G-League Ignite team last season. He averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Yahoo Sports NBA Draft analyst Krysten Peek gave the Chicago Bulls an A- grade for the pick.
“Buzelis shot the ball under 30% from 3-point range during his lone season with the Ignite, but he has great size at 6-foot-9 and the ability to space the floor. He is comfortable taking players off the dribble and has good footwork and ball skills on wing dribble handoffs.”
Buzelis grew up in Willowbrook, Illinois, just a few miles from Chicago. He played his freshman year at Hinsdale Central High School, where he was part of the sophomore team. He then played at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas during his senior year.
His parents, Kristina Jankauskaitė and Aidas Buzelis, played professionally in their native Lithuania. Buzelis’ father played in the Lithuanian basketball league.