Amid the dog days of the offseason, talk of Matas Buzelis’ breakout reached an all-time high. Pundits pegged the 21-year-old as a future All-Star—an expectation rooted firmly in reality. The 6-foot-9 wing’s potential is vast. He can shoot from deep, attack the rim with grace, and get teammates involved when needed. Defensively, Buzelis is a sneaky weakside shot-blocker with the body and athleticism to grow into a staunch point-of-attack defender.
However, that buzz quickly softened once the season began. While Buzelis played well, a full-fledged breakout never fully materialized. After a modestly strong start, he slipped into a brief sophomore slump in November, averaging just 12.2 points while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor.
Nonetheless, the momentum has swung back in his favor. Buzelis has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, and he's averaging 21.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks while converting 49.1 percent of his shots and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc in January.
Matas Buzelis vs. Cooper Flagg: Round 1
The sophomore is on the rise, and he’ll get a measuring-stick test against a player he’s been linked to for years: Cooper Flagg. The two wings first went viral nearly three years ago, at NBA training aficionado Chris Brickley’s Invitational. At 18 and 16, Buzelis and Flagg looked destined to be top picks in their respective classes. While Buzelis fell to No. 11, Flagg lived up to expectations as the top selection.
Yet falling to 11th, Buzelis was clearly underdrafted. Despite not earning a starting role until February last season, he’s now fifth in total points and eighth in total rebounds, while ranking 11th in win shares and inside the top 15 in both field-goal and three-point percentage among the 2024 draft class.
But the player he’ll be matched up against is on a whole different level. Flagg ranks first or second in his class in points, rebounds, assists, win shares, and box plus/minus. The 19-year-old also leads his team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals this season. Even more intimidating, he’s improving across the board every month. There’s little doubt the Duke product will be one of the NBA’s elite players within a few seasons.
Then again, who’s to say Buzelis won’t develop into a multi-time All-Star? As noted earlier, he has the skill set to become a star, and the Bulls’ first matchup against the Mavericks will offer a first glimpse of how the second-year wing measures up against one of the league’s top rising stars.