BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Atlanta Hawks decided to stay put at No. 15 during Thursday night's NBA Draft and selected University of Michigan shooting guard Kobe Bufkin.
Bufkin comes to the Hawks after just two years with the Wolverines. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native averaged 14 points per game during his sophomore campaign with the Michigan while shooting 48% from the field.
He was one of the best players in the Big Ten over the last six weeks, improving his offensive and defensive metrics and shooting up draft boards in order to secure himself as a first-round selection. Bufkin shot over 10% better from the field during his sophomore season compared to his freshman year.
The lefty shooter is a lanky guard at 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 195 pounds.
Bufkin was a McDonald's All-American out of high school, but was really a late-bloomer while at Michigan. He jumped his points per game average by 11 points from his freshman to sophomore year, the largest among returning Big Ten players
There was much speculation the Hawks were going to try and either trade up to trade back and potentially move John Collins. But the Hawks decided to stay put at 15th overall and select Bufkin. Now, that doesn't mean they still can't trade Collins during this draft and acquire a potential future first round pick.
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