When basketball fans talk about rookie steals from last year’s NBA Draft, the conversation now invariably swings to 6’10” Matas Buzelis. His recent performances have left no room for debate. Last Saturday, the Chicago Bulls rookie recorded a seismic shift in fan appreciation with a jaw-dropping 31-point game against the iconic Los Angeles Lakers. It was a display not only of scoring prowess but a tapestry of athletic flair interwoven with a definitive highlight moment—a breathtaking one-handed dunk that saw him effortlessly breeze past the formidable Luka Doncic. The dunk didn’t just bring the crowd to its feet; it elevated Buzelis from obscurity into the realm of buzzworthy rookie sensations.
Selected 11th overall in the NBA Draft, Buzelis arrived surrounded by murmurings of untapped potential, tempered by doubts and whispered skepticism. Like many young prospects, he was an enigma—a tall, promising cipher the basketball world couldn’t quite decode. Yet in his short time with the Bulls, he’s begun to unravel that mystery, answering questions not with words, but with action, speed, and a certain finesse that few saw coming. His post-All-Star break stats are the formal introduction to the league—averaging 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and just shy of one dramatic block per game over a solid 25.8 minutes. It’s a revelation in progress, as the revitalized and nimble Bulls brand of play carves a spotlight around him.
And as Buzelis rises through the ranks of NBA notoriety, the world of card collectors has taken note with commendable zeal. The hobby market—a fluctuating behemoth that trades potential with an unrestrained enthusiasm—has seen a remarkable surge in the valuation and trading of Buzelis cards. In just the first 25 days of March, the collector’s-data hub Card Ladder logged a staggering 2,731 Buzelis card transactions. This burgeoning demand includes 18 high-stakes exchanges—cards surpassing the cool $1,000 mark—a price point that was a rare sight before the grand debut of Panini’s 2024-25 Prizm NBA release.
The effect of Prizm was akin to a match tossed into a tinderbox. Before Prizm, the pinnacle of Buzelis card sales was his 2024 Prizm Draft Picks Black Prizm Auto 1/1, peaking at $700. The arrival of Prizm has since incinerated previous records. Post-release, two of his most coveted rookie cards have crossed the $2,000 landmark—the Panini Prizm Green Shimmer Rookie /5 fetching $2,150 and the Panini Prizm Snakeskin Auto /15 edging it out at $2,194.69.
In the bustling rookie marketplace, Buzelis has quickly found himself amongst the luminary first-year players. He’s elbowed his way into the elite echelon, aligning himself with top draft pick Zacharie Risacher and others. Risacher boasts five card sales over $1,000 in March, whereas Alexandre Sarr has one. The promising Stephon Castle—tipped for Rookie of the Year honors—counts 16 such sales. Buzelis, with 18 transactions to his name, wields numbers that demonstrate both his appeal and potential.
Intriguingly, while many of his peers entered the league under the klieg lights of expectation, Buzelis sidestepped these burdens. It’s his blossoming in-game performances that are now casting new light and vivid hues over his sporting journey. In short order, the market has responded to his artistry on the court, amplifying voices that were once muted.
Chicago, amid another evolution as it distances from the DeRozan-LaVine chapter, is redefining its basketball vocabulary—fast-paced, kinetic, and with a young core that includes the swift Coby White and the perceptive Josh Giddey. Within this space, Buzelis is flourishing, etching himself as the team’s soaring point-leader in dunks, displaying a burgeoning confidence, and showcasing the skills that have long tantalized scouts and analysts.
At merely 20, Buzelis combines poise with a burgeoning bravado that has fans and collectors rapt with attention. This rookie class wasn’t particularly drenched in pre-season hype or engulfed in a blinding spotlight, but Buzelis, with every dunk, assist, and highlight-reel play, is crafting an arc that few saw coming. As this narrative of talent and potential unfolds, the clamor for his cards and memorabilia is set to find new decibels, marking him as not just a season’s revelation, but perhaps, a diamond unearthed from the draft’s midsection.
