Kobe Bufkin

Atlanta Hawks

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.

atlanta-hawks-sign-rookie-guard-kobe-bufkin

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.

kobe-bufkin-bringing-all-around-game-to-atlanta

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).

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

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