landry fields

Atlanta Hawks

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

Landry Fields Promoted to General Manager

ATLANTA&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Atlanta Hawks today announced a series of promotions and hires within basketball operations, including the promotion of Landry Fields to general manager. He will continue to report to president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk.

Additionally, the Hawks have announced: Dwight Lutz has been elevated to vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, Stephen Giles to director of pro scouting, and Justin Eaddy to basketball operations coordinator/scout, while Rod Higgins has transitioned to senior advisor and Larry Riley to college scout. Also, Grant Liffmann has been hired as a pro personnel scout.

Fields, 34, has served as the Hawks’ assistant general manager for the last two seasons. He joined the organization in 2020 following four seasons as part of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, where he finished his stint as general manager of the Spurs G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, after working three seasons as a college scout. The 39thoverall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Fields played five seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes over 255 career games with the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. A native of Long Beach, Calif., Fields and his wife Elaine have two sons, JJ and Kai.

Lutz&nbsp;is entering his fifth season with the Hawks. He came to Atlanta following an 18-month stint as a basketball operations analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves and a four-year stay with the NBA where he served as senior manager of game analytics and strategy. Lutz played four years of basketball while earning a degree in Mathematics from Trinity University (Texas) before receiving a graduate degree in statistics from the University of Florida.

Having re-joined the Hawks in 2019 as a pro personnel scout,&nbsp;Giles&nbsp;also served as an advance scout for the team from 2008-11. He has spent time in scouting with the Warriors, Nuggets, Magic, Knicks and Cavaliers. Giles is also a former college assistant coach, including stints with Marquette, Florida State and Georgia Southern. The Dunn, N.C. native is a graduate of University of North Carolina, and owns a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from Georgia Southern.

Eaddy&nbsp;came to Atlanta as a seasonal assistant in 2020. He was previously at the University of Connecticut as graduate head manager as well as student manager of the men’s basketball team, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and a Master’s in Sports Management. He is a native of Hartford, Conn.

A longtime NBA player, executive, coach and scout,&nbsp;Higgins, who has been with the Hawks since 2017, played 13 seasons with Chicago, Seattle, San Antonio, New Jersey, Golden State, Sacramento and Cleveland, before retiring in 1994. Higgins was an assistant coach with the Warriors from 1994-2000 before joining the Washington Wizards as assistant general manager. He returned to Golden State as general manager, then spent 2007-14 with the Charlotte Bobcats, finishing as president of basketball operations.

With the Hawks since 2018,&nbsp;Riley&nbsp;is a veteran of nearly 50 years in basketball, including the last 30-plus in the NBA. Riley was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors from 2009 to 2012, later serving as a consultant for the team. He was also an assistant coach and director of scouting for the Warriors, an assistant coach and advance scout for the Dallas Mavericks, director of player personnel for the Vancouver Grizzlies and an assistant coach and scout for the Milwaukee Bucks. Riley is the former head coach at Eastern New Mexico and Chadron State (Neb.).

Liffmann&nbsp;comes to the Hawks organization after having served as a television and podcast host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, covering the Golden State Warriors from 2016-22. He won a Northern California Emmy Award in 2018. The native of Burlingame, Calif. and graduate of University of California-Berkeley holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies.&nbsp;For photos of Fields, Lutz, Giles, Eaddy, Higgins, Riley and Liffmann, please&nbsp;click here.

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Atlanta Hawks Announce Basketball Operations Promotions and Hires

atlnbell

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks today announced the hiring of Landry Fields as Assistant General Manager. In his role, Fields will work in all areas of basketball operations with a specific focus on bolstering player relations, scouting and strategic planning.

Fields, 32, joins the Hawks after four seasons as part of the San Antonio Spurs franchise. Last season, he was promoted to General Manager of the Spurs G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, after working three seasons as a college scout. The Austin Spurs held a 24-18 record (.571) at the stoppage of the 2019-20 season and played an integral role in providing development opportunities to recent San Antonio draft picks. 

The 39th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Fields played five seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes over 255 career games with the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. He was named an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2011 and participated in the Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star Weekend in both his rookie and second seasons.

“Landry has quickly risen through the ranks, bringing a unique combination of playing experience, sharp eye for player development and strong skills as a communicator,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk said. “He will be a welcome addition to our group.”

As a rookie with the Knicks in 2010-11, Fields started 81 of 82 games, averaging 9.7 points on .497 shooting (.393 from three-point range), 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 31.0 minutes per game. He followed his rookie season with averages of 8.8 points on .460 shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 28.7 minutes in 66 games (62 starts) played during the lockout-shortened season. He played his final three seasons with the Toronto Raptors where he was limited to 107 games (33 starts) due to injuries.

Fields played four years at Stanford University (2006-10), where he earned a degree in communications. As a senior, he led the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding (22.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game) while earning USBWA All-District IX Team and first-team NABC Division I All-District 20 honors in addition to being named the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A native of Long Beach, California, Fields and his wife Elaine have two sons, JJ and Kai.

landry fields

Kobe Bufkin bringing all-around game to Atlanta

Atlanta Hawks Announce Basketball Operations Promotions and Hires

Atlanta Hawks Name Landry Fields As Assistant General Manager