Kobe Bufkin drafted by Atlanta Hawks 15th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft

With the 15th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Michigan Wolverines guard Kobe Bufkin.

Bufkin was by all accounts the breakout star of the 2022-23 season for the Wolverines, going from a bench player as a freshman to a first round pick as a sophomore. Bufkin averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.3 steals in 34 minutes per game this season, while also shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 35.5 percent beyond the arc and 84.9 percent from the charity stripe. For his efforts, Bufkin was named to the All-Big Ten third team by the media.

Bufkin was a part of the much vaulted 2021 recruiting class for head coach Juwan Howard that ranked at the very top of the list across the nation. Of that class’ six members, the 2023-24 season will see only one — Will Tschetter — still in Ann Arbor, as three have now been drafted (Bufkin, Caleb Houston and Moussa Diabate) and two have transferred (Frankie Collins to Arizona State in 2022 and Isaiah Barnes to Tulsa after this past season).

After starting the year on no one’s draft board, Bufkin’s skill and poise wowed NBA analysts across the spectrum. This is a well deserved honor for a high class guy, and we wish Bufkin all the best in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks.