Ignite Update: The Draft Stock of Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis

It was a slow start to the season for G League Ignite, but its two top prospects are starting to find their footing.

While the G League Ignite program has roughly eight different prospects that will make it to the NBA in the next year or two, the duo that is expected to be taken early in the 2024 NBA Draft is Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis.

Both entered the season with a real chance at being taken No. 1 overall, but a slow start for both Ignite as a team and these two prospects has been an interesting storyline to follow.

Let’s evaluate how the early part of their respective G League campaigns have impacted projected draft positioning.

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Ron Holland 

Ashok Kumar/NBAE via Getty Images

Season Stats: 15 GP | 18.5 PPG | 6.7 RPG | 2.8 APG | 2.1 SPG | 1.1 BPG | 47.4% FG | 23.9% 3PT

From game one in the G League, Holland’s motor and defense has never been in question. He’s been an impact player on that end, showing off his defensive versatility and strength at just 18 years old.

The question was — and has always been — more on the offensive end. Holland is extremely athletic and leverages his physical frame to get to the rim, but self-creation and perimeter shooting needed to be improved upon.

Through the first few weeks of the season, Holland really struggled to take care of the ball. He had 11 turnovers in one single game in November and still to date averages more turnovers than assists on the season. He’s shown clear improvement as the year has gone on which is promising, but he will need to showcase a lot more discipline if he’s going to be a clear top overall pick in June’s draft.

As it relates to shooting, the 6-foot-8 forward is converting on less than 25% of his 3-point attempts and fewer than 70% of his free throws. That’s the part of the game he needs to improve upon most to swing his draft stock. Even then, he’s averaging nearly 20 points per game and has found other ways to be a primary scorer throughout the season which is encouraging.

The upside is there for Holland to be an elite two-way combo forward at the NBA level. He’s still very much in the running for the No. 1 overall pick, but needs to improve in a few areas.

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Matas Buzelis 

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Season Stats: 8 GP | 13.3 PPG | 5.6 RPG | 1.9 APG | 1.4 BPG | 1.3 SPG | 48.2% FG | 22.2% 3PT

Buzelis missed the first eight games of the season with an ankle injury, as the team went 0-8 in its extremely rough start to the 2023-24 campaign. Upon his return, it did take him some time to get into a groove. That was expected given he was making the leap from high school to professional play, but Buzelis is now starting to hit his stride.

The skillset he possesses at 6-foot-10 is pretty special, as he can legitimately operate as an off-ball guard or wing offensively. In theory, he has the height and shooting mechanics to be an elite floor spacer at the next level that can get his shot off over nearly anyone. With that in mind, he’s really struggled from beyond the arc early in this G League season. The jumper looks much too smooth and his track record would suggest that he’s going to be a much better shooter moving forward, but it hasn’t been falling early.

As the season goes on, NBA teams will simply be looking for improvement. If his 3-point shooting efficiency gets better with time, teams will buy the shot translating. Either way, it’s probably safe to say that NBA scouts believe in his floor spacing ability.

While he still has room for improvement, Buzelis’ defensive disruptiveness has been promising. He’s already produced 21 stocks (steals + blocks) through eight contests. He’s also showcased his versatility on that end and future upside of being able to guard upwards of three positions. If he can prove to be a plus defender for most of the season, his draft stock should swing significantly.

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In short, both Holland and Buzelis are likely to go in the early lottery range of the 2024 NBA Draft. There’s still a chance either could go No. 1 overall, but the slow start to the season has impacted those chances for both. 

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