Kobe Bufkin

Draft Notes

Kobe Bufkin had a breakout second season for the Wolverines, putting himself in position to enter the 2023 NBA Draft and possibly be a first round pick. He’s very young for his class (younger than some of the freshmen) and already shows a good amount of polish to his game along with good poise and high basketball IQ.

While not being the most powerful athlete he’s got plenty of speed, burst and above the rim ability. He’s crafty with the ball, has good handles, changes pace well and is a good finisher (mainly with his left hand). He’s got an advanced mid range game and really knows how to create space for his shot, despite not having elite quickness.

He has a lot of promise as a 3pt shooter, showing a nice improvement from year one to year two.

On defense Bufkin does a lot of good things and has some areas of improvement as well. He has very quick hands and is always a threat to swipe the ball. He also gives really good effort and stays locked in. He doesn’t have ideal size and probably won’t guard wings too well at the next level. He also needs to get a bit stronger, which will help him get through screens and hold his own against some of the bigger SGs in the league.

Comparisons

• CJ McCollum
• Willie Green+
• Luther Head

Draft Projection

No.8-16 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

2023 SG Rankings

1. Ausar Thompson – 6-6 – Overtime Elite
2. Jordan Hawkins – 6-5 – UConn
3. Kobe Bufkin – 6-4 – Michigan
4. Keyonte George – 6-5 – Baylor
5. Nick Smith – 6-4 – Arkansas
6. Marcus Sasser – 6-2 – Houston
7. Brandin Podziemski – 6-5 – Santa Clara
8. Ben Sheppard – 6-6 – Belmont
9. Amari Bailey – 6-4 – UCLA
10. Terquavion Smith – 6-4 – NC State
11. Ricky Council IV – 6-6 – Arkansas
12. Mojave King – 6-5 – Ignite (Australia)
13. Jaylen Clark – 6-5 – UCLA
14. Isaiah Wong – 6-4 – Miami
15. Sir’Jabari Rice – 6-4 – Texas
16. Adam Flagler – 6-3 – Baylor
17. Omari Moore – 6-6 – San Jose State
18. Chris Livingston – 6-5 – Kentucky
19. Justin Powell – 6-6 – Washington St. 
20. D’Moi Hodge – 6-4 – Missouri
21. Drew Peterson – 6-9 – USC
22. Josiah James – 6-6 – Tennessee