It was a very emotional evening for Chicago native Matas Buzelis.
He was selected on Wednesday by his hometown Chicago Bulls with the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. While draft night is special for everyone in attendance, this moment meant a little more to the forward. When Buzelis heard his name called, the emotions were visible on his face as he became teary-eyed before hugging his family members in attendance, 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-4 small forward who played for the NBA G-League Ignite team this past 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 three-point range in his lone season with the Ignite, but he has great size at 6-foot-4 and the ability to spread the floor. He can easily pick players off the dribble and has good footwork and good ball skills when dribbling hand-offs on the wing.”
Buzelis grew up in Willowbrook, Illinois, just a few miles from Chicago. He played his freshman year at Hinsdale Central High School, where he played his sophomore year. 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.
