The Matas Buzelis Cards Being Snapped Up as his Climb Continues
Matas Buzelis had a career night last Saturday, as his improving Chicago Bulls dominated Los Angeles in a 146-115 blowout victory. The rookie, who fell to 11th overall in last year's draft, was phenomenal, showing off an array of skills that once had many talent evaluators listing him as a potential top 5 pickt. The play of the night was a Buzelis drive on superstar Luka Doncic, featuring a beautiful piece of dribbling as the 6' 10" rookie took it to the rim before flushing a one-handed dunk. Buzelis ended with a career-high 31 points, in a statement game that showed people just what his future could be.
Matas Buzelis' first 30-piece of his young career.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 23, 2025
31 points | 12-18 FG | 5-10 3PT pic.twitter.com/YES5FOgH88
Since the All-Star break, Buzelis has seen his minutes increase from just under 15, to 25.8 per game. In that span he's averaging 11.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 0.9 BPG. He's still plenty raw, but fans and collectors are starting to see the vision.
The market for Buzelis in The Hobby has certainly responded. In March alone, Card Ladder lists 18 sales of $1,000 or more. Previous to the release of 2024/25 Panini Prizm Basketball, the highest sale came on January 28 for $700, paid for his 2024 Prizm Draft Picks Rookie Black Prizm Auto 1/1 card. All told, Card Ladder lists 2,731 sales in the first 25 days of March. The two highest sales since the Prizm release are $2,194.69 for his 2024/25 Panini Prizm Matas Snakeskin Auto /15. $2,150 and for his 2024/25 Panini Prizm NBA FOTL Green Shimmer Rookie /5.
How does Buzelis' recent show of strength on the secondary market compare to other rookies from his class? There has been a single sale in March of four-figure Alexandre Sarr Prizm RC, $1,136 on March 16. Top pick Zacharie Risacher? 5 sales over $1,000 in March. The best comparison is probably Rookie of the Year front-runner Stephon Castle, who has seen 16 in that timeframe.
Buzelis leads the Bulls in dunks, and has improved along with the Bulls, as the team has opted for a more exciting brand of attacking offensive basketball that has made them a treat to watch of late. In what was a more unfancied draft than is typical, Buzelis may just have the highest potential of the whole class. The combination of size, skill, and fluidity certainly gives the 20-year old a very high ceiling. And, if Chicago has finally tapped into a new identity following the departures of DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, Buzelis looks set to benefit. With the passing of Josh Giddey and the speed of Coby White, Buzelis is suddenly in a very intruiging place to develop into a star. It likely won't happen overnight, but the eye test tells us the chance is there.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.