Atlanta Hawks rookie Kobe Bufkin has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks and recently earned praise from coach Quin Snyder for embracing the assignment.
Bufkin suffered a fractured thumb with the Skyhawks in November and eventually debuted with the team on Dec. 27. He made only two appearances with the Hawks prior to the injury and has mostly remained with the Skyhawks.
The Hawks are dealing with some injuries of late but have opted to keep Bufkin in the G League. Snyder believes it is important for him to stay with the Skyhawks, according to Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kobe is in a good place. He is playing in College Park and doing a great job, and that experience for him, I think, is really important. He has done a great job of embracing it, as well. Kobe will be back with the Hawks at some point, but right now, I think we’re in a good place with everything where we are. It is something that (general manager) Landry (Fields) and I talked about, as well. We’re prioritizing that for Kobe right now.
Bufkin is averaging 22.4 points, 5.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 42.8% shooting from the field in nine games with the Skyhawks. He has scored in double figures eight times, including a season-high 33 points, six assists and five rebounds on Dec. 31.
The 15th pick had a solid run with the Hawks in the preseason and earned praise from Snyder for his ability to score and run the offense. He has shown flashes of that skill set early with the Skyhawks and will look to improve with more reps.
The organization has previously rejected two trades involving Bufkin and believes he has a bright future ahead. They are high on his potential and will look to tap into that this year and beyond.
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