G League Ignite lands top 2024 NBA Draft prospects Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland
The 2023 NBA Draft is right around the corner, but two sought after 2024 prospects also made some major moves Wednesday. Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland will play for G League Ignite next season, according to multiple announcements. The Ignite now boast arguably their most impressive recruiting class.
The news of Buzelis' commitment came first, via a release from the team. The 6-foot-10 guard from Hinsdale, Illinois, is ranked as the No. 4 senior in the Rivals 150. At Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 53.7% shooting. He shot 43.7% from deep.
After leading his team to a 22-8 record, the Lithuanian-American was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Yahoo Sports projected Buzelis to be selected first overall in a 2024 mock draft earlier this year.
officially signed and ready to work 🔒
top projected 2024 NBA Draft pick Matas Buzelis (@BuzelisMatas) is the newest star prospect to join the 2023-24 G League Ignite roster!
Buzelis is a 6’10" guard from Chicago and will start his professional journey in the G League next szn! pic.twitter.com/CsirVyCoNf— NBA G League Ignite (@gleagueignite) May 31, 2023
Shortly after the Ignite shared Buzelis' announcement, No. 5-ranked senior Ron Holland followed suit. The 6-foot-8 forward previously committed to Texas. It wouldn't have been a far move from Duncanville High School, where he averaged 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Holland was the 2022-23 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year. He led the Panthers to a 29-1 record, garnering offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, UCLA and Memphis.
Buzelis commented, "Ahahhahahahhaahhahahahaha," on Holland's Instagram post about the news, presumably an evil laugh regarding just how stacked the Ignite will be next season.
The pair will join Ignite players Thierry Darlan, London Johnson, Dink Pate and Babacar Sane in Henderson, Nevada.
The program was founded in 2020 to develop young prospects for the NBA Draft as an alternative to college. Its been quite successful in that mission, despite the massive financial opportunity star NCAA players are seeing with NIL. In 2021, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Isaiah Todd all went in the top 10 from the Ignite. The same went for Jaden Hardy, MarJon Beauchamp and Dyson Daniels in 2022.
Ignite star Scoot Henderson is projected to go to the Portland Trailblazers with pick No. 3 in Yahoo Sports' 2023 mock draft. His teammates Leonard Miller and Sidy Cissoko are also expected to be selected in the first round.
