Michigan basketball: Kobe Bufkin a fringe top-10 prospect in latest big board update
Michigan basketball was rocked this offseason by the major changes to the roster, namely the decision of Kobe Bufkin to enter the 2023 NBA Draft. The sophomore guard came out of seemingly nowhere to emerge as U-M’s best all-around player last season.
His stock has shot up as a result.
In the latest big board released by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, Bufkin comes in at No. 11 overall. There were some draft analysts that thought he could get there in 2024 after one more season at Michigan. But the future appears to be now for the standout guard.
Teammate Jett Howard is 27th on Vecenie’s big board.
“Bufkin is the biggest mover up the board after having done more of a deep dive into his game following the season,” Vecenie wrote. “Not only is he clearly Michigan’s best prospect, but I have a lottery grade on him right now. There isn’t really anything he does poorly. A couple of NBA executives have brought up the idea to me that he doesn’t necessarily “pop” for them, and there are some concerns we’ll delve into, but Bufkin is a well-rounded, long-armed 6-foot-4 guard who I think has upside to play as a true lead long term. And more importantly, he’s the kind of two-way player who likely won’t take anything off the floor.”
The 6-4, 195-pound Bufkin averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this past season, shooting 54.6 percent on twos and 35.5 percent on threes. He was a four-star signee and No. 44 player in the country in the 2021 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking.
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Vecenie says that Bufkin is not without his warts, though. He needs to add more strength to his frame and become a better shooter than he was at Michigan. But all of the tools appear to be there.
“That should come with the strength he should be able to add, given that he has good length and a solid frame,” Vecenie said. “Bufkin reminds me a lot of Derrick White in terms of frame, quickness, length, instincts and skill. White is a guy whom I similarly had ranked in the top 15 of his draft class despite the fact that he ended up going toward the end of the first round. And I think Bufkin has a bit more upside if it all comes together for him in terms of his game off the bounce. I feel pretty good about him as a lottery pick, and there is a chance he slides up the board as the process continues.”
Bufkin was part of a 2021 recruiting class that ranked fifth in the nation that included forwards Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate, point guard Frankie Collins, wing Isaiah Barnes and forward Will Tschetter. Tschetter is the only piece that remains with Houstan, Diabate and Bufkin heading to the pros and Collins (Arizona State) and Barnes (Tulsa) transferring out over the last two offseasons.
