Chi town wrote:cocktailswith_2short wrote:Progressing well .
This kid’s ceiling keeps rising.
Honestly, think he has All NBA potential. Ridiculous ceiling.
Not many rookies putting up crazy efficient near 30 pt games against NBA playoff vets like Lakers and Mavs.
His ceiling was always All NBA potential. It was most likely a low outcome but he had all the athletic tools. Ive posted this before but it was in January 2024:
There are a lot of different avenues for where Buzelis’s career can go. My high-end projection would see him as a second or (more likely) third option on a good team. There’s always the chance a player could make unforeseen, rare developments. But for Buzelis to become a leading man on a great at the NBA level, a lot would have to go right. He would have to fill out his frame to an impeccable degree, become an excellent three-point shooter, and make outlier improvements to his handle. But if Buzelis can simply “turn the dial” in a big way, that’s an awesome player. It’s possible that he can develop his frame to the point that he isn’t pushed around as easily on defense, becomes a good-to-great three-point shooter, and gets his handle to a point where he can run second-side actions without issue. It still requires a lot of things to click, but I don’t think it’s unrealistic. And if Buzelis can be a second or third option at 6’10”, we’re talking about boatloads of money flowing into his bank account. That’s the type of players teams picking at the top of the draft should be eyeing in this class.
Even a more median outcome still profiles well financially for Buzelis while still bringing value to an NBA organization. If he’s a solid shooter who hits open shots, it’ll open up driving lanes for his above-the-rim finishing and slick on-the-go passing. Plus, given his size and versatility as a defender, he’d be one of the most plug-and-play guys in the league who could fit into—and start—in almost any system. This is where I believe he’s most likely to settle, and it’s a lucrative outcome. 6’10” starters, and even good bench players if Buzelis falls a little bit short of this mark, get paid. Every team wants size, shooting, and defense on the wing, and there’s a very attainable avenue for Buzelis to deliver all three. If Buzelis isn’t a consistent or reliable three-point shooter, still struggles with turnovers, and the strength doesn’t come along, things get more precarious. But based on the growth we’ve seen from Buzelis in these respects over the last year, I’m more optimistic about his future than that. And still, the “lesser” versions of Buzelis are good NBA players in important positions.
https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/matas-buzelis-and-the-path-to-big
