Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis has announced that he is officially set to play for the Lithuanian National Team.
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis has announced that he is officially set to play for the Lithuanian National Team.
Buzelis will provide a big boost for Lithuania as they prepare for the European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Lithuania's qualifying group consists of Great Britain, Italy and Iceland.
On July 2nd, 2026, Lithuania will take on Great Britain, and they will face off with Italy on July 5th, 2026.
Lithuania released their full 30-man roster for the World Cup Qualifiers, featuring Jonas Valanciunas and second-year NBA guard Kasparas Jakucionis from the Miami Heat. Despite some new names on the roster set to help out, the absence of Domantas Sabonis will, of course, make things tougher for Lithuania against the top big men in the world.
Buzelis' addition is a huge boon for Lithuania head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis, as he started to look like a strong two-way player this season. In the 2025-26 over 77 games, Buzelis averaged 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 BPG and shot 34.9% from the 3-point line on 6.4 attempts per game.
It was a unique season for Buzelis, who started as a supporting role player and ended the season as essentially the primary scoring option and focus of the team. Buzelis tied for 5th in the league in blocks per game and showcased a much-improved 3-point stroke.
Valanciunas, Jakucionis and Buzelis are the only three NBA players on the roster, with all three set to play big roles.
The experience of being depended on by the Lithuanian National Team will be huge for Buzelis, who will be stepping into a similar situation with his NBA club this upcoming season. For the 2026-27 NBA season, Buzelis is slated to be the top-scoring option on the Bulls, with playmaker Josh Giddey firmly entrenched as his running mate. Even with Caleb Wilson or Cam Boozer potentially on the way, Buzelis' prior NBA experience has likely gained him enough trust in NBA coaching circles. Whoever is the next head coach in Chicago will have to build around Buzelis' versatile skill set, and that skill set will be sharpened following his World Cup Qualifying experience.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup will go from August 27 to September 12, 2027, in Doha, Qatar. The last FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th edition in 2023, with Germany surprising the field to win their first FIBA World Cup title.
