Matas Buzelis, a consensus five-star prospect from Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday signed a contract to play with the G League Ignite for the 2023-24 season, the league announced.
The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Buzelis, whose parents are from Lithuania, was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Kansas last season. He led the Sunrise Christian Academy to the Final Four of the GEICO Nationals after averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 43.1% shooting from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-10 forward was named the Most Valuable Player of the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at NBA All-Star Weekend in February and competed in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game in March. He was also selected to the World Team at the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit (Lithuania).
Buzelis is the fifth-ranked prospect in the class of 2023 and is currently viewed as the front-runner to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft next year. He has a great blend of size and ballhandling skills that should translate well to the next level.
The 18-year-old is the fifth prospect to commit to the Ignite next season, joining Thierry Darlan, London Johnson, Dink Pate and Babacar Sane. He chose the pro route over programs like Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA.
The stated goal of the Ignite is to provide development opportunities for the top prospects looking to play professionally. The team, which is coached by Jason Hart, started playing a full, 50-game schedule in the G League this past season.
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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire
