NBA Comparison: Franz Wagner

Strengths: Buzelis is currently a thin 6’10 195 forward with a frame that will be able to add significant muscle, giving him plenty of intrigue as a potential mismatch along the frontcourt … Also shows bouncy run-jump athleticism, body control and agility for a player his size that should only continue to improve as he adds more strength … Good ball-handling ability for a 6’10 player; comfortable facing the basket, operating on the perimeter and especially in transition where he can be potent when going downhill … Willing to initiate offense on his own after missed shots at times, whether going coast-to-coast or making outlet passes to advance the ball … Will slither around contact to create angles to score … Budding point-forward skills (49 assists last season with G-League Ignite) that will be worth continuing to develop given his strong floor vision and timing as a passer … Plays at his own pace and shows a good feel for the game; generally doesn’t force the issue and knows when to give up the rock vs when to call his own number … Can be a surprisingly emphatic finisher through contact for a thin player; made a good amount of posters just this past season alone (51 FG% inside the arc) … Moves without the ball; defenders have to look out for him on backdoor cuts … Has a soft touch that adds a layer of intrigue to his potential as a scorer (14.3 PPG on 45 FG%), and can find different ways to subtly get space to convert shots against contests … Willing to take shots from deep (24 made 3s) and has been productive with it in the past (45 3FG% as a Hs Sr.), particularly when he can set his feet … Given his height he likely won’t have many problems rising and firing shots over defenders when he can’t get all the way to the rim … Has a developing turnaround J over his left shoulder in the low and mid-post areas that would be useful to build on … The timing and instincts he shows on the offensive end are also evident defensively; the film shows that he will use his rangy strides and work his feet to cut off slashing angles on the ball & make smart rotations off the ball … Excellent shot-blocking production (2.1 BPG) highlight his quick leaping skills and willingness to rim protect as a helpside defender … Generally does a solid job of “walling” and being straight-up when contesting shots to avoid unnecessary fouls … Versatile player with experience playing on and off the ball, who at his best could subtly contribute in multiple ways …

Weaknesses: Not very strong currently, and it impacts how effective he’s able to play on both ends of the court … Willing to finish through contact at times and shows at least decent toughness, but generally is a finesse player who looks to fade away or use his height to get shots off … Physical defense really can disrupt his game at his current strength level; struggles to consistently create slashing lanes or get to his spots cleanly against stronger players … Not particularly quick either, which allows more athletic defenders to be able to stay in front & force difficult looks, speed him up and represents another hindrance to his potential as a true primary shot-creator in halfcourt offense … Too light in the britches to establish any kind of consistent positioning in the post right now, which often negates his effectiveness on the low block … Got to the FT line at a poor rate, further illustrating a lack of physicality, and had mediocre at best success once there (2.2 FTA/G on 68%)…Flashes of point-forward skills are more of an idea than tangible production currently; had a negative A:TO in the G-League (1.9:2.1) and is more of an unselfish passing valve in an offense than a true facilitator at this point … Will also have to work on dealing with ball pressure at the point of attack to realize his playmaking potential…Relies heavily on timing and anticipation as a defender, could struggle to handle quicker players especially when matched up with on the perimeter … Plays with a high center of gravity that works against him on both ends of the court at times…Average rebounding skills for his height; could show more of a motor and tenacity on the glass (6.6 RPG) … Has shooting touch, but is a bit up-and-down from the perimeter (27 3FG% on 3.4 3FG/G) and it seems to due (at least in part) to trying to change his release point and quickness when contested … More effective with time and space than off the dribble…May be a “jack of all trades, master of none” type; doesn’t really have a particular skill he stands out at currently, though he is scratching the surface in a number of areas …

Overall: Buzelis is a prospect from the Chicago area who comes from family were both of his parents were pro hoopers in Lithuania before moving to the US…He has a decorated amateur swimming background and eventually became one of the best HS basketball players in the nation as a consensus top 10 recruit in the 2023 HS class…He played in the 2022 Hoop Summit and was a McDonalds AA in 2023 as well…After stops that included basketball powerhouses Brewster Academy & Sunrise Christian Academy his last 3 years of HS, Buzelis chose to play for the G-League Ignite over going to college…It was a distrastrous season for the Ignite program, one that included a 2-32 record and a notice from Adam Silver that the NBA was shutting down the league, but Buzelis had a reasonably productive season…He showed pretty much all of the things we knew about him as a prep prospect; his nice size and physical tools as a 6’10 combo forward, versatility on both ends of the court, basketball instincts, exciting finishing ability and the budding point-forward skill set…He also is still going to need to polish all of his skills more and continue to grow into his body to maximize his athleticism and overall potential as a player, because there will be alot more of what he struggled with in the Ignite program to come at the NBA level if he doesn’t attack the weight room and add mass to his frame…The framework of a modern combo forward with mismatch skills and positional versatility is there, but its going to be about shoring up some key areas in all areas of his game that see him live up to his draft billing … Buzelis is projected to be taken in the first half of the lottery …

Notes: Measured: 6′ 8.75” barefoot, 197 lbs, 6′ 10.00” wingspan, 8′ 9.50” standing reach, 31 standing vert, 38 max vert at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/11/24

Strengths: 6’10 wing … Although his length isn’t great relative to height, he has good size considering position with a 6’10.25 wingspan and 8’8 standing reach … Natural feel for the game and versatile skill set. Very skilled, crafty, and smooth with the ball for his size. Demonstrates ball skills in the half-court and leads well in transition. Sees the floor well, makes impressive one-handed passes with either hand off the dribble. Distributes well in pass and kick situations, especially when driving baseline. Good ball-handler, can break down the defense and get to the rim off the dribble, isn’t completely reliant on triple threat. Good change of speed, creativity, and wiggle with the ball. Can start the offense after grabbing a rebound … Can play on or off the ball, knows when to space the floor and when to cut/rotate … Impressive and fluid athlete. Jumps well off one or both feet. Has eye-opening dunks when getting to the rim and gets impressive pop after euro-steps. Isn’t afraid to attempt dunks in the crowded paint. Good body control when contorting himself in the air for finishes. Covers a lot of ground and uses euro-steps to react to the defense on drives. Drives well going to his left or right and good use of counters when needed. Good touch on floater and accurate with either hand at the rim … Patient offensively, doesn’t blindly attack the rim or force his impact. Reads and reacts well … Averaged 14.2 points per game on 52.1% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 and finished 2^nd in scoring with 15.4 points per game on a 4^th best 49.6% FG% over the NIBC in 2022-23 … Good aggression. Despite lack of strength, he doesn’t shy away from contact and plays well against tight pressure … Good form on jump shot with comfortable 3PT shooting range. Capable shooting off the dribble, including step-backs, and hits shots when given little space from the defender. Improved 3PT shooting over his senior year, from 26.6% 3PT% on 3.4 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 to 42.2% 3PT% on 3.8 3PT attempts per game over the NIBC in 2022-23 … Shows a midrange fadeaway … Good free throw shooter. Shot 77.6% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 and a 4th best 81% FT% over the NIBC in 2022-23 … Good size and anticipation on the defensive end. Good timing as a help a help defender when blocking shots. Averaged a 3^rd best 1.9 blocks per game over the NIBC in 2022-23. Moves well laterally … Possesses desirable size and skills for a modern-day perimeter player …

Weaknesses: Has much room to improve upper and lower body strength, as well as being stronger with the ball. Can be too straight up when handling the ball, lacking the low center of gravity. Picks up his dribble early or loses the ball when enduring contact trying to work in tight spaces at times. Contact noticeably affects his balance, eliminating his wiggle and effectivity with the ball. Sometimes ends up on the floor when taking contact at the rim. Handling contact against full grown pros this season in the G-League will be quite an adjustment and contrast to what he was against in high school … Good shooter, but can speed up his release … Although he’s more of a perimeter player, he has room to improve as a rebounder. Sometimes after getting a hand on the board, he loses the rebound battle with his lack of strength, failing to corral the ball. Averaged 5.6 rebounds per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 and 6.1 rebounds per game over the NIBC in 2022-23 … While he keeps turnovers fairly low considering his volume and role with the ball, he holds a negative assist to turnover ratio and can improve assist count, especially if he’s going to be at least a secondary initiator at the next levels. Averaged 2.2 assists to 2.3 turnovers per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 and only 1.6 assists per game over the NIBC in 2022-23 …

Outlook: G-League Ignite rookie … Transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy for his senior year … Scored 16 points (6-7 FG, 4-4 FT) at the 2022 UA Next Elite 24 … 2023 McDonald’s All-American … Earned MVP of the 2023 Basketball Without Borders … 2022 New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year … 2023 Naismith High School Boys All-American 2^nd Team … 2023 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year …

Evan Tomes 8/11/23

Strengths: 6’10.25 point forward … Although his length isn’t great relative to height, he has good size considering position with a 6’10 wingspan and 8’9.75 standing reach … Natural feel for the game and versatile skill set. Very skilled, crafty, and smooth with the ball for his size. Demonstrates ball skills in the half-court and leads well in transition. Sees the floor well, makes impressive one-handed passes with either hand off the dribble. Distributes well in pass and kick situations, especially when driving baseline. Good ball-handler, can break down the defense and get to the rim off the dribble, isn’t completely reliant on triple threat. Good change of speed with the ball. Can start the offense after grabbing a rebound … Can play on or off the ball, knows when to space the floor and when to cut/rotate … Impressive and fluid athlete. Jumps well off one or both feet. Has eye-opening dunks when getting to the rim and gets impressive pop after euro-steps. Isn’t afraid to attempt dunks in the crowded paint. Good body control when contorting himself in the air for finishes. Covers a lot of ground and uses euro-steps to react to the defense on drives. Drives well going to his left or right and good use of counters when needed. Good touch on floater and accurate with either hand at the rim … Patient offensively, doesn’t blindly attack the rim or force his impact. Reads and reacts well … Averaged 14.2 points per game on 52.1% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good aggression. Despite lack of strength, he doesn’t shy away from contact and plays well against tight pressure … Good form on jump shot with comfortable 3PT shooting range. Capable shooting off the dribble. Shot a solid 77.6% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Good size and anticipation on the defensive end. Moves well laterally … Possesses desirable size and skills for a modern-day perimeter player …

Weaknesses: Has much room to improve upper and lower body strength. Loses the ball when enduring contact trying to work in tight spaces at times and ends up on the floor when taking contact at the rim at times. Handling contact against full grown pros a year from now when he goes to the G-League will be quite an adjustment and contrast to what he’s seeing now on a daily basis … While the foundation is present, he can improve 3PT shooting consistency and speed up his release. Shot 26.6% 3PT% on 3.4 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … Although he’s more of a perimeter player, he has room to improve as a rebounder. Only averaged 5.6 rebounds per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 … While he keeps turnovers fairly low considering his volume and role with the ball, he holds a negative assist to turnover ratio and can improve assist count, especially if he’s going to run the point at the next levels. Averaged 2.2 assists to 2.3 turnovers per game over the Nike EYBL in 2022 …

Outlook: G-League Ignite commit … Transferring to Sunrise Christian Academy for his senior year … Scored 16 points (6-7 FG, 4-4 FT) at the 2022 UA Next Elite 24 … 2022 New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year …

Measurements from BWB Global:

Height: 6’9 (no shoes) Wingspan: 6’10.25 Max Vert: 35.5″

Evan Tomes 9/9/22