Kobe Bufkin hasn’t played very much with the Atlanta Hawks, but franchise cornerstone Trae Young has been impressed by the rookie on and off the court this season.
Bufkin has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks. He logged his third appearance with the Hawks on Tuesday in a 16-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring his first career points on a 3-pointer with 27.6 seconds left.
With the Skyhawks off until Thursday, Bufkin was with the Hawks and had the opportunity to get in the game. He also had the opportunity to learn from Young and the rest of the team on the bench, which stood out to the two-time All-Star.
I watch guys from a distance and see how they act, how they learn. You can tell he is a sponge to learning. Even when he is on the bench with us tonight: He sits right next to me a lot when I’m on the bench, and he is just watching. We’re talking, and you can tell he is learning. Whenever I’m watching him in the G League doing what he does and coming off screens, it’s just too easy for him down there, and that’s what it’s supposed to be if you’re a league dude and he is definitely a league dude.
Bufkin is averaging 23.5 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals on 43.9% shooting from the field in 13 games with the Skyhawks. He has scored at least 30 points four times, including a career-high 43 points and nine rebounds on Monday, which Young saw firsthand.
He is ninth in the G League in scoring during the regular season.
The 15th pick recently earned praise from Hawks head coach Quin Snyder for embracing his assignment in the G League. The organization has kept him with the Skyhawks to play extended minutes and stay in a rhythm on the court, and it looks to be paying off.
The team is high on his potential and believes he can eventually develop into a cornerstone. Young already sees it and thinks he isn’t too far off from reaching that level.
“He is down there getting reps, and you can tell what he is doing down there is paying off for him,” Young said. “Ultimately, one day, it’s going to help him up here. I’ve been loving seeing what he is doing for our G League team, and I just want him to stay with it and stay at it because one day, he is going to get his opportunity, and it is going to pay off for him. I’m loving what I’m seeing from him because he can do it all.”
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