Matas Buzelis Looks Like a a Former All-Star in Summer League Play

Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis has been one of the premiere standouts of the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League so far. Buzelis’s versatility has stood out everywhere on the floor – as a 6-9, hybrid wing/forward, he can handle the ball in open space, convert at the basket, and is always in the mix for blocks and steals. Buzelis is also very athletic and trends more towards a “positionless” style of basketball.

All the same could be said about former 

Utah Jazz All-Star, Andrei Kirilenko, who profiles as a similar player to Buzelis. In an interview with NBC Sports Chicago, Buzelis referenced Kirilenko’s “defensive and shot-blocking” abilities when discussing his own aspirations to become more of a two-way player.

Kirilenko’s On-Court Impact

2004 All-Star, Avg. 11.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg for his career

Over the course of his 10-year career with the Jazz, Kirilenko was one of the NBA’s most interchangeable, two-way threats. Always known for his activity as a defender, Kirilenko gradually added a better scoring attack as a finisher and shooter off the dribble, and came into his own as a secondary playmaker.

During that era, there weren’t too many controlled, 6-9 forwards who could both take you off the dribble and find a teammate if the defense cut off an avenue to the rim. However, even with the recent boon of multi-faceted, tall wings and forwards, not many have the skill set and tenacity to match Kirilenko’s rare 5×5 games (achieved it 3 of the 22 times it has ever happened).

Though finishing with a 5×5 is more symbolic than anything else, it directly indicates Kirilenko’s impact – he made an honest contribution in every statistical category. For Buzelis, he needs to continue to work on his weakness as a shooter, but also further develop his promising game as a shot creator and defender. Kirilenko followed a similar path, before breaking through as an All-Star in his third year in the league.