G League's Matas Buzelis Declares for 2024 NBA Draft; Projected Top-10 Pick

The 2024 NBA draft class is starting to fill out, with Matas Buzelis of the G League Ignite being the latest player to enter the fold.

Buzelis told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski he is declaring for the draft.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected the 19-year-old Buzelis to be selected with the 10th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in his most recent mock draft.

Buzelis was a bright spot for the Ignite in what has turned out to be the team's final season.

NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced on March 21 the Ignite program, which launched in 2020, was ending at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Ignite was meant to provide an alternative path to the NBA for top prospects, while also offering them the opportunity to get paid.

In the wake of the NCAA's decision to adopt NIL rules, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters during All-Star weekend the league was "reassessing" the Ignite program.

Buzelis, the No. 5 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, signed with the Ignite in May 2023.

Wasserman noted in his scouting report for Buzelis that the Chicago native was at one point under consideration for the No. 1 pick, but an ankle injury suffered early in the G League season delayed his on-court development.

"Inconsistency is one of the big reasons scouts aren't as trusting in him," Wasserman wrote, "while positional size, scoring versatility and athleticism provide traits that have kept evaluators patient."

Franz Wagner, Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu and Toni Kukoč are among the pro comparisons Wasserman made for Buzelis, and his projected role in the NBA is as a "jumbo wing scorer/handler."

Buzelis averaged 14.1 points on 44.5 percent shooting and 6.6 rebounds per game in 26 games for the Ignite.