NBA

Hawks scouts are ‘a little worried’ with the career progression of Kobe Bufkin

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Zach Wolpin
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Zach Wolpin Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

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Sports Editor

Updated3 hours ago on July 23, 2025

Kobe Bufkin Hawks pic

This past Sunday, the Hornets beat the Kings to win the NBA 2K26 summer league. It was an important time for young players to showcase their skills. 

That’s what 21-year-old Kobe Bufkin was trying to do for the Hawks. During the summer league, Bufkin had multiple 25+ point outings and showed potential as a backup PG. However, Spotrac’s Keith Smith noted that some Hawks scouts are “a little worried” about Bufkin. Two years into his career, Atlanta is trying to be optimistic.

Will Kobe Bufkin play a larger role for the Hawks in 2025-26?


With the 15th pick in the 2023 NBA draft, the Hawks selected Kobe Bufkin out of Michigan. Due to unfortunate injuries, Bufkin has played in just 27 games in two seasons for Atlanta. He appeared in 17 games as a rookie in 2023-24 and 10 games in 2024-25. Last season, the young guard was dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, and he eventually needed surgery. He rehabbed the second half of the season and played in the summer league for the Hawks.

Despite heading into his third season, Bufkin has limited playing time in the NBA. He needs all the work he can get to continue developing. During his run at the summer league, Kobe Bufkin had multiple 25+ point games. He was a serious scoring threat for Atlanta, but scouts on the team still have their doubts about Bufkin.

Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that one Hawks scout told him that they are “a little worried.” Atlanta has added pieces to put the team in a position to win. That doesn’t give Kobe Bufkin the time he needs to improve. On top of that, staying healthy has been an uphill battle for the young guard. Those factors have the Hawks feeling on edge this offseason.

The area Bufkin needs to improve on the most is his shooting. It’s a small career sample size at 27 games, but Bufkin only shoots .220% from beyond the arc. That type of production as a guard will not cut it in the NBA. During his final season at Michigan, Bufkin shot .355% from beyond the arc. The 21-year-old would see more playing time if he could dial in his shot for the 2025-26 season. For now, it doesn’t look great for Bufkin. He could find himself buried in the depth chart for the Hawks.