By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News, 2024-06-06 12:34:52
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
编辑注： 马刺队将参加 6 月 26 日的 NBA 选秀大会，历史上首次拥有两个前十顺位选秀权，分别为第 4 顺位和第 8 顺位。
如果不是去年马刺队选中了维克多·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)，这两个顺位将是马刺队自 1997 年以来最高的选秀顺位。
这是关于马刺队可能在这些顺位中选中的球员的系列分析文章之一：
就像近年来许多从即将关闭的 G 联盟 Ignite 计划中涌现的才华横溢但经验不足的球员一样，出生在芝加哥的前锋马塔斯·布泽利斯 (Matas Buzelis) 带着几个问题走到了选秀大会的大门前。
这位 19 岁的球员在第一个职业赛季的表现还算不错，但他并没有在 G 联盟中大放异彩。
赛季初的脚踝伤势减缓了他适应职业级别的速度。他的三分球投篮表现不稳定。球探有时质疑他的动力，以及他是否有足够的体能来应对成人篮球比赛中那种强烈的身体对抗。
马刺队可能愿意忽视所有这些，并冒险在布泽利斯身上赌一把，特别是考虑到他的全面技术和多才多艺，尤其是在第 8 顺位。
布泽利斯的故事本身就很有趣。他的父母都是立陶宛的职业篮球运动员，在他出生之前移民到了美国。
布泽利斯在芝加哥长大，他小时候的第一项运动是体操和游泳。12 岁时，他被认为是伊利诺伊州最优秀的蛙泳运动员之一。
当他开始在芝加哥的欣斯代尔中央高中进行预备学校生涯时，布泽利斯已经喜欢上了他家的篮球运动。他在两所预备学校完成了高中学业——新罕布什尔的布鲁斯特学院和堪萨斯的日出基督教学院，在那里他是 2023 年麦当劳全明星赛的球员。
布泽利斯拒绝了来自肯塔基、北卡罗来纳、佛罗里达和维克森林等大学的邀请，选择在 Ignite 效力一年，场均得到 14.4 分和 6.9 个篮板。
尽管有一些问题，但布泽利斯有很多值得喜欢的地方。他身高 6 英尺 9 英寸，在侧翼位置上拥有出色的体型。布泽利斯从这个位置上投篮和组织进攻的能力让他很容易融入现代 NBA，在那里他可以成为一名合格的第二得分点和控球手。
他在空旷的球场和篮下终结时展现出高于平均水平的运动能力。他在高中时期被认为比在 G 联盟赛季的短时间内表现得更好的外线射手，这让人们对他在 NBA 水平上能否稳定地投三分球抱有希望。
像其他顶级新秀一样，布泽利斯可能不会立即成为球队的首选得分手，甚至可能永远不会。对现在拥有维克多·文班亚马的球队来说，这是一个好消息：他们不需要布泽利斯成为球队的首选得分手。
一些球探认为布泽利斯的天赋就像年轻的尼古拉·巴图姆 (Nicolas Batum) 或弗朗茨·瓦格纳 (Franz Wagner)。如果马刺队能确定在第 8 顺位选到这种级别的球员，他们会毫不犹豫地选择他。
马塔斯·布泽利斯在芝加哥长大，他的父母是来自立陶宛的前篮球运动员，他们在布泽利斯出生之前搬到了美国。
G 联盟 Ignite 球员马塔斯·布泽利斯 (左) 在 2 月 16 日印第安纳波利斯举行的 NBA 新秀挑战赛中投篮，马刺中锋维克多·文班亚马防守。
NBA 选秀球员马塔斯·布泽利斯在 5 月 18 日匹兹堡海盗队与芝加哥小熊队的比赛前，在芝加哥的瑞格利球场进行了开球仪式。
马塔斯·布泽利斯在芝加哥长大，他的父母是来自立陶宛的前篮球运动员，他们在布泽利斯出生之前搬到了美国。
点击查看原文：Spurs draft prospect: The case for Matas Buzelis
Spurs draft prospect: The case for Matas Buzelis
Editor’s note: The Spurs enter the June 26 NBA draft armed with a pair of top 10 picks for the first time in team history, holding the No. 4 and No. 8 selections.
Had it not been for last year, when the Spurs famously nabbed Victor Wembanyama first overall, either of those picks would have marked the club’s highest draft slots since 1997.
This is the next in a series of profiles of prospects the Spurs might consider at those spots:
As with many talented-yet-raw prospects to come out of the soon-to-be-shuttered G League Ignite program in recent years, Chicago-born forward Matas Buzelis arrives at the draft’s doorstep amid a handful of questions.
The 19-year-old was solid enough in his first professional season, but did not exactly set the G League on fire.
An early-season ankle injury slowed his acclimation to the pro ranks. His 3-point shot proved inconsistent. Scouts at times questioned his motor and whether he had the physical strength to play through the type of hard contact inherent in the grown-man version of the game.
The Spurs might be willing to overlook all of that and take a gamble on Buzelis’ deep and versatile skill set, especially at No. 8 overall.
Buzelis’ story is interesting enough. He is the son of a pair of Lithuanian professional basketball players who immigrated to the United States before he was born.
Buzelis grew up in Chicago, where his first sports as a child were gymnastics and swimming. At the age of 12, he was considered one of the top breaststroke swimmers in the state of Illinois.
By the time his prep career began at Chicago’s Hinsdale Central High, Buzelis had gravitated to the family sport of basketball. He finished high school at a pair of prep schools — Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, where he was a 2023 McDonald’s All-American.
A five-star recruit, Buzelis eschewed college offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida and Wake Forest to spend a year with the Ignite, where he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds.
There is a lot to like about Buzelis, despite inherent question marks. At 6-foot-9, he would provide advanced size on the wing. Buzelis’ blend of shot- and playmaking from that position make him an easy fit in the modern NBA, where he could find a role as a capable secondary scorer and ball-handler.
He exhibits plus-athleticism, both in the open floor and finishing at the rim. He projected to be a better perimeter shooter in high school than in the short sample size of the G League season, giving hope to the idea that a steady 3-point shot might become a part of his tool bag at the NBA level.
Like other top prospects in a less-than-marquee draft class, Buzelis doesn’t project to be a go-to scorer immediately or perhaps ever. Good news for the team that currently employs Victor Wembanyama: They wouldn’t need Buzelis to be.
Some scouts see Buzelis’ upside as something akin to a young Nicolas Batum or Franz Wagner. If the Spurs can be assured of nabbing that type of impact with the eighth pick, they would sign up for it in a heartbeat.
Matas Buzelis grew up in Chicago, the son of two former basketball players from Lithuania who moved to the United States before he was born.
Matas Buzelis, left, of the G League Ignite shoots over Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the NBA Rising Stars basketball game on Feb. 16 in Indianapolis.
NBA draft prospect Matas Buzelis threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a May 18 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Matas Buzelis grew up in Chicago, the son of two former basketball players from Lithuania who moved to the United States before he was born.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News