Chicago Bulls Select Matas Buzelis No. 11 Overall at 2024 NBA Draft

After trading for Josh Giddey last week, the Bulls added another young piece to their team at Wednesday’s draft.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Matas Buzelis arrives for the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

After making waves on the trade market with the acquisition of Josh Giddey last week, the Bulls were face with another interesting decision at the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.

With the No. 11 overall pick, the took a gamble on Matas Buzelis.

While the shipping off of Alex Caruso for Giddey could be looked at as the start of a youth movement, the team’s newest prospect will still join a team designed to win games now. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucivic and Coby While will all continue to see heavy rotational minutes.

Coming out of high school as one of the most highly-touted prospects, Buzelis saw an up-and-down season with the G League Ignite, but still offers a high-upside wing that can dribble, pass, shoot, defend and has athletic pop. He averaged around 13 points and over two blocks per game for the Ignite, and still has tangible upside in a variety of areas.

Per Draft Digest’s earlier scouting report on Buzelis: A skilled 6-foot-10 point forward, it’s the versatility that will be appealing to NBA teams. He should be able to play upwards of four positions at the next level if he continues to polish a few aspects of his game. Most notably, he will need to get a tighter handle on the ball and get stronger overall as the level of competition increases.

All eyes now turn to 2024 NBA Summer League, which kicks off Saturday, July 6, with the California Classic. The annual summer showdown featuring all 30 teams takes place from July 12-22 in Las Vegas.

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