Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin has made his decision on what to do for the 2023-24 basketball season. Per a release from the school, Bufkin will enter his name into the 2023 NBA Draft.

Bufkin’s decision comes after a tough 2022-23 season for the Wolverine program after missing the NCAA Tournament with a slightly worse resume than they made it with a year ago. Michigan suffered a major setback when Princeton transfer Jaelin Llewellyn went down for the year with a torn ACL and they just never could find stability at the point guard position.

Such a lack of options in the backcourt without Llewellyn led to a big opportunity for Kobe Bufkin, who seized a starting role as a sophomore and ended the year as the team’s second leading scorer at 14 points per contest in 33 games played. In year two, Bufkin shot the ball well, developed as a passer and showed flashes of a very bright future ahead.

More on the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.

To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.

While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.