Kobe Bufkin

Atlanta Hawks

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks have traded guard Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets, in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced today.

Selected by the Hawks with the 15th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bufkin has appeared in 27 games over the course of his two-year career, averaging 5.0 points and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes. He has seen action in 14 games with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League, recording 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes (.444 FG%, .356 3FG%, .829 FT%).

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Atlanta Hawks Complete Trade with Brooklyn Nets

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Kobe Bufkin drops 29 PTS on 15-15 FT', including 17 PTS in the 4th quarter, in Hawks Summer League Win vs. Heat

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Kobe Bufkin drops 29 PTS on 15-15 FT's in Hawks Summer League Win vs. Heat

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the third-year (2025-26) contract option for Kobe Bufkin and fourth-year (2025-26) contract option for Dyson Daniels, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Selected by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bufkin appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, notching 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes. The Michigan product scored his first NBA point at Milwaukee on Oct. 29, knocking down a free throw.

He saw action in 14 games (all starts) with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League in 2023-24, averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes. He netted 34 points in his Skyhawks debut on Dec. 27 against Greensboro, marking the most points scored in a Skyhawks’ debut in club history.

In a win over the Motor City Cruise on Jan. 15, Bufkin tallied 12 points, 12 assists, and 5 steals in 36 minutes, becoming the first Skyhawk in franchise history to contribute 10+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ steals in a single outing.

Daniels, who was acquired by Atlanta on July 6, 2024 from New Orleans, has appeared in four games (all starts) for the Hawks this season, posting 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.0 block in 32.5 minutes (.500 FG%, .353 3FG%).

He currently leads the NBA in total steals (11) and deflections (28). His 28 deflections are 12 more than the next closest players (Nikola Jokic, Marcus Smart, Cason Wallace, and Jonathan Mogbo all have 16 deflections). 

A 2024 Panini Rising Star, Daniels recorded 1.4 steals per game during the 2023-24 campaign, the 10th-most in the NBA, and owned a .341 steal percentage last season, ranking fifth in the league (min. 50 GP). He recorded a career-high six steals at Utah on Nov. 25, becoming the only second-year player to record at least six steals in a single game this past season and one of only two first-or-second year players to do so, joining Victor Wembanyama. He recorded all six steals in the first half, tied for the most steals in a single half in the NBA this past season and tied for the second-most steals in a single half in New Orleans history.

Selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Pelicans, the 6-7 guard owns career averages of 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 20.4 minutes in 124 games (31 starts). Prior to the Pelicans, he spent the 2021-22 season with the NBA G League Ignite, where he was named to the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars roster.

Daniels, a native of Bendigo, Australia, played for Australia in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Atlanta Hawks Exercise Contract Options on Kobe Bufkin and Dyson Daniels

The Hawks have had a number of memorable plays in the preseason, but perhaps the one that will linger longest on the minds of Hawks fans was Vit Krejci's&nbsp;incredible 80-foot bounce pass&nbsp;to Kobe Bufkin.&nbsp;

"Noooo," he said emphatically when asked if he thought Krejci's pass would get through to him for the layup.

The defender's position even caught Krejci a bit off guard.

"I honestly thought he was a little bit more on the side. I was just trying to spin it around him," Krejci said.

Like a lot of fun things in basketball, though, the&nbsp;fun play on offense was made possible by the defense that&nbsp;preceded it. Krejci stayed with a ballhandler&nbsp;one-on-one in transition, waited for his moment, and pounced forward to nab the steal.&nbsp;

Minutes later in the same game, Krejci blocked a shot, rebounded it, assisted on a Garrison Mathews three, then&nbsp;combined with Bufkin on a steal.

Both Krejci and Bufkin went to College Park for some playing time in the G League last season and returned as better defenders. Both are also part of a larger trend: the Hawks have far more potent perimeter defenders than they had at the same time in the preseason 12 months ago.

Trae Young found ways to make a bigger&nbsp;impact on defense. Jalen Johnson went through a full season as a starter and&nbsp;got important experience against the NBA's best. And De'Andre Hunter has always been a strong and versatile defender.

The greatest improvement, however, came when the Hawks traded for Dyson Daniels, and his presence in the lineup defending ballhandlers should have a ripple effect on the entirety of the team's defense.&nbsp;

In four preseason games, the 21-year-old did it to&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. He did it to&nbsp;Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. He did it to&nbsp;Alec Burks and the Heat, and he did it to&nbsp;Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.

Even the plays that do not end with turnovers have an impact. The increased pressure burns time from the shot clock, making it so that opposing offenses have less time to set up a good shot. Daniels' presence guarding the best guards also takes them out of rhythm. It requires more energy to bring the ball up, it gets the ball out of the hands of the best scorers when they get off the ball to avoid his defense entirely, and it does other little disruptive things like causing them to set screens further up the floor than they had hoped, leading to longer passes and offensive sets that are out of rhythm.

For Daniels, it all begins with careful study and game preparation.&nbsp;

"Everyone is different - I'm going to have to guard everyone differently," Daniels said after facing Maxey and the Sixers. 

"Tyrese Maxey is super quick and can shoot the stepback three and get on the rim, so&nbsp;it was about judging when I can pick him up and when I can turn him. Sometimes I try to pick him up early, get him on his back foot, turn them a couple of times when they bring it up. A&nbsp;couple of times tonight I made him get off the ball and make someone else bring it up, which if I can do that, I'm doing my job."

It's never a job of perfection. NBA teams are still going to score 100+ points per game on most nights.

"And yeah, I got beat a couple of times on some screens tonight. But it's about getting back in front, telling my big to get out and hold corners, and contesting at the rim, that sort of stuff."

For a Hawks team that finished 27th in defensive rating while still making the Play-In Tournament, an improved defense could give them a shot to rise within the Eastern Conference. Center Clint Capela feeds off the defensive energy that his guards bring.

"It definitely helps to have scrappy guys who are ready to scramble," Capela said. "It definitely helps me to do that same job on the inside of the paint whenever I see guards who are active like that."

Other new arrivals could also make an impact. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher brings height, quick feet, and the aptitude of a quick learner to the job. Two-way guard Keaton Wallace made a noticeable impact defensively in College Park last season and flashed more of the same craft in the preseason for the Hawks. 

As the Hawks get ready for an 82-game season, Trae noted that Daniels using&nbsp;tactics to guard the best players in the league in the same way that opponents are trying to use their best defenders to guard Trae and the Hawks.

"We've got one of those guys now," Trae said. "We'll get wins because of the impact that he has on the defensive end."

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Defensive Depth Emerges as Hawks Gear Up for the Season

Kobe Bufkin drops 31 PTS with 7 threes in Hawks 104-99 preseason loss at OKC

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Kobe Bufkin drops 31 PTS with 7 threes in Hawks preseason loss at OKC

Hawks’ First Round Pick was 15th Overall Selection in 2023 NBA Draft

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks have signed rookie guard Kobe Bufkin, the team announced today.&nbsp;Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.&nbsp;

Bufkin appeared in 61 games (33 starts) throughout his two-year career at University of Michigan, averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.3 minutes (.463 FG%, .325 3FG%, .833 FT%). Named to the 2023 All-Big Ten Third Team (media), the 6-4 guard saw action in 33 games (all starts) during his sophomore season, tallying 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in 34.0 minutes of action (.482 FG%, .355 3FG%, .849 FT%). 

Bufkin netted 10-or-more points in 24 of his 33 games played during the 2022-23 campaign, including seven outings with at least 20 points. In a 68-51 win at Northwestern on Feb. 2, 2023, he notched a near triple-double, recording a career-high 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists, to go along with 15 points, two steals, and 1 block in 38 minutes. 

The Grand Rapids, Michigan native helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back postseason appearances, reaching the Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and the second round of the 2023 NIT. A four-star recruit out of Grand Rapids Christian High School, Bufkin was named a 2021 McDonald’s All-American.

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Atlanta Hawks Sign Rookie Guard Kobe Bufkin

The Hawks selected Kobe Bufkin with the #15 overall pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft, and to hear General Manager Landry Fields tell it, one of the things that they loved most was Bufkin's passion for the game.

"I think it got serious when one of our intel sources said something along the lines of, 'There are guys who love the game and then there are guys who are in love with the game.' This is a guy who is in love with the game."

The 6-foot-4 guard played two seasons at the University of Michigan, where he averaged 14.0 points per game in his sophomore season while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three. Like John Collins six years ago, Bufkin is a young player despite having two seasons of college experience; he will turn 20 right around the time training camp opens in late September just as Collins did.

Two of the things that the Hawks like best are that Bufkin has an all-around game that works on a number of levels with few weaknesses, and that his progression at Michigan took a constant upward trajectory.&nbsp;

"When we spoke with him in Chicago, that was another huge moment for me," Fields said. "He's just very mature in the way that he sees the game: the feel, the IQ, the confidence that he has as well. He's just a very fluid type of player. He can play on-ball, off-ball. He defends, and that's big for us as well. He's young and still growing and getting better."

Bufkin himself gave himself a similar assessment.

"I think my skill set is pretty all-around," he said. "I can improve in many areas, but it doesn't really lack much."

When asked about comparing himself to a current NBA player, Bufkin said that there is one player he gets compared to often: D'Angelo Russell.

"I think that's just because I'm a left-handed player," Bufkin added, "but I watch a lot of D-Book (Devin Booker)."

Perhaps the best example of Bufkin's maturity is his development on the defensive side. The Hawks view him as an addition to their defense, even though his freshman season posed some challenges.

"Defensively, my freshman year I couldn't guard nobody," Bufkin said. "I'm going to just put it like that. I finally just focused on moving my feet and that allowed me to get on the court my second year and have a big impact on defense first."

Bufkin especially impressed Fields with his self-improvement on that end through the emulation of a Michigan teammate.

"He actually talked about a teammate of his, and how he thought (that teammate) was the best defender on the team when (Bufkin) got there as a freshman. And so what he ended up doing was he ended up watching film of that teammate – time and time again – in order to be more like him."

Bufkin is eager to get to Atlanta, a city with which he is already familiar because some of his aunts and uncles reside here.&nbsp;

"I'm just looking forward to competing against Trae Young and Dejounte Murray," he said. "They go at it. I've paid attention, so I'm definitely ready to get down there and get on the court with those guys and learn."

Bufkin has a sense of humor about his new home, too.&nbsp;

"I probably went to Atlanta last year around summertime. I know there's a lot of traffic. I'm not looking forward to the traffic and the humidness and the roaches. But, you know, there's some good parts that come with it as well. But the roaches, the roaches fly by the way. I don't know what's up with that."

The Grand Rapids, MI native is eager to make another trip South.

"I think the city of Atlanta, as a whole, is a beautiful city. I have family down there that I'm looking forward to kicking it with and visiting with them."

Bufkin is gaining a family on the court, too, and he should be able to help them there soon.

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Kobe Bufkin bringing all-around game to Atlanta

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks selected Kobe Bufkin from the University of Michigan with the 15thpick in the 2023 NBA Draft and Seth Lundy from Penn State with the 46th&nbsp;pick on Thursday night. Atlanta has agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to Mouhamed Gueye (the 39th&nbsp;player selected in the 2023 NBA Draft) from Boston in a trade to be finalized at a later date.

Bufkin appeared in 61 games (33 starts) throughout his two-year Wolverines career, averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.3 minutes (.463 FG%, .325 3FG%, .833 FT%). Named to the 2023 All-Big Ten Third Team (media), the 6-4 guard saw action in 33 games (all starts) during his sophomore season, tallying 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.0 minutes of action (.482 FG%, .355 3FG%, .849 FT%). Bufkin netted 10-or-more points in 24 of his 33 games played during the 2022-23 campaign, including seven outings with at least 20 points. In a 68-51 win at Northwestern on Feb. 2, 2023, he notched a near triple-double, recording a career-high 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists, to go along with 15 points, two steals and one block in 38 minutes.&nbsp;

“I’ve mentioned before about Hawks DNA. Hawks DNA is about being in love with this game and giving it your all and you’d be surprised about how many guys do that and how many don’t. But he’s a guy that there’s no doubt about it … That’s a guy that loves this game. He’s an unbelievable person,” said Hawks General Manager Landry Fields. “When we spoke with him in Chicago, that was another huge moment for me. He’s just very mature, the way he sees the game, the feel, the IQ, the confidence that he has as well. Just a very fluid type of player. He can play on ball and off ball and defends and that’s big for us as well.”

Lundy played four seasons at Penn State, appearing in 122 games (96 starts), owning career averages of 10.5 points and 4.6 boards in 26.0 minutes (.412 FG%, .368 3FG%, .814 FT%). He finished his Penn State career ranking sixth all-time in school history in carer three-pointers (229), ninth in career free throw percentage (.814 FT%) and 20th&nbsp;in career points (1,283). Lundy became the 39th&nbsp;member of Penn State’s 1,000-career point club on Jan. 11, 2023, scoring his 1,000th&nbsp;in a win against Indiana.

"He was here for our last workout and he's a guy we monitored. He really caught our eye at the combine and has an elite skill in shooting. He plays with toughness and he came out here and lit it up in front of us. That's part of who he is. He's been doing that for a long time at Penn State,” said Fields. “He’s a guy where you can never have enough shooting and again, this is a character fit. These are guys that we want to build with that make it fun to build with, and guys that we know are going to maximize their potential."

A native of Paulsboro, New Jersey, Lundy earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches and media) during the 2022-23 season, after averaging career highs in points (14.2), rebounds (6.3), field goal percentage (.450 FG%) and three-point field goal percentage (.400 3FG%). In four Big Ten Tournament contests, the 6-6 guard/forward tallied 17.0 points and 7.8 boards, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Gueye (pronounced mo-HAH-med Gay) saw action in 68 games (66 starts) during his two-year career at Washington State, registering 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 26.9 minutes (.489 FG%, .613 FT%). The 6-11 forward appeared in 33 games (all starts) during the 2022-23 season, notching 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 32.1 minutes, en route to an All-Pac-12 First Team selection (.488 FG%, .674 FT%). Gueye’s 8.4 rebounds per game were the fourth-most in the Pac-12, while his 14.3 points were the ninth-best in the conference. He tallied 15 double-doubles during the 2022-23 campaign, the most by any player in the Pac-12.

Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2021-22, Gueye started in 33 of Washington State’s 35 games played in the 2021-22 season, tying Klay Thompson’s program record for most starts by a true freshman. The Dakar, Senegal native recorded 33 blocks during his freshman campaign (fourth-most in program history by a freshman), 181 steals (fifth-most by a freshman) and 29 steals (10th-most by a freshman).

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Atlanta Hawks Select Kobe Bufkin with the No. 15 Pick, Seth Lundy with the No. 46 Pick, and Acquire the Draft Rights to Mouhamed Gueye in 2023 NBA Draft