Subscribe
Follow Us
Rivalries prior to entering the NBA Draft are nothing new. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had a thing going prior to even making it to the association. But, it is rare that two people who rarely meet each other on the court blast each other off it. This is exactly the situation from NBA G League Ignite product Matas Buzelis and presumptive first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, albeit it sounds one-sided.
Zaccharie Risacher does not give an answer
The NBA Draft is nearing which means the steady risers in the past week within people's mocks are likely the ones getting picked. Zaccharie Risacher and Matas Buzelis are the ones who benefit from this the most. The French phenom out of LNB Pro A has dethroned Alex Sarr as the top pick in most people's eyes. Meanwhile, the NBA G League Ignite prospect soared up to fifth in most mock drafts after being considered the top pick almost over a year ago.
With all these similarities in experiences prior to the NBA Draft, one would think they get along. However, that is not always the case. In fact, Buzelis has put out a competitive challenge to Risacher. The Frenchman still has not responded to the challenge which is why the G League Ignite player doubled down on agitating his rival to accept it, via Shams Charania of Stadium.
“I think everybody got it twisted, once I said it. I respect Zach as a player, of course. He's a great player. He just does not want to see me. I'm just going to keep it real, he doesn't want to see me. I'm going to stand on that. The offer still stands, for sure. I'm waiting for a response,” Buzelis said.
His initial challenge was to battle Risacher one-on-one months before the NBA Draft. It may have come with some form of intimidation and flowed with a lot of overconfidence.
“Of course, I want to see him one-on-one. He just doesn't want to do that with me. His agent will not do that with me, and I know he won't. It's a business decision. My advantage is that I have everything over him,” he proclaimed months prior.
How good is Matas Buzelis as an NBA Draft prospect?
The short answer? He's a highly revered member of this draft class and was even considered the consensus top pick a few years back. Unfortunately, injuries sidelined him for quite a bit in the NBA G League Ignite's season which altered a lot of his style of play alongside impacting his production.
Nonetheless, his output is still good enough to be considered at least part of the top five in most people's eyes. Buzelis' shot finds the bottom of the net 44.8% of the time and gives him 14.3 points a night. His ability to find good spots to box out and jump also helps him notch 6.9 rebounds. This show of an insane vertical also helps him meet opponents at the apex of their shot and swat them away for an average of 2.1 blocks.
There is a lot of promise in Buzelis' game. His first matchup against Risacher will be a must-watch basketball clash.
