The Lakers recalled Bufkin from the G League's South Bay Lakers on Saturday.
Bufkin will be available off the bench for the Lakers' game Saturday against the Nuggets, but since Los Angeles is at full strength at guard and on the wing, he's not expected to be featured in the rotation. The third-year player suited up for South Bay in its 125-106 win over the Iowa Wolves on Friday, finishing with 16 points (7-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one block in 26 minutes.
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Lakers' Kobe Bufkin: Enters starting five
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Bufkin is starting Tuesday's game against the Spurs, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
Bufkin will make his first start of the season due to Luka Doncic (hamstring), LeBron James (foot), Austin Reaves (calf) and Marcus Smart (ankle) all being sidelined. Bufkin will run the floor alongside Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes.
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Lakers' Kobe Bufkin: Back with Lakers on two-year deal
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Bufkin agreed Saturday with the Lakers on a two-year deal, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
According to Charania, the second season of the contract is a team option. Bufkin had previously appeared in four games for the Lakers back in January on a 10-day deal, and he'll now get some longer-term security on the 15-man roster. The 22-year-old guard has been a standout performer this season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 26.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from three-point range over 21 appearances.
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Kobe Bufkin: Continues to score in bunches
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Bufkin ended with 29 points (5-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 37 minutes during Friday's 115-114 G League loss to the Capital City Go-Go.
Bufkin continues to tear it up in the scoring department in the G League. The 2023 first-rounder has reached the 20-point plateau in all but two of his last 14 appearances, during which Bufkin is averaging 27.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.8 minutes per game.
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Kobe Bufkin: Contract with Lakers ends
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Bufkin became a free agent Friday after his 10-day contract with the Lakers expired, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
The Lakers will have the option of bringing Bufkin back on a second 10-day deal, though it's unclear if the team intends to do so with Austin Reaves' (calf) return seemingly on the horizon. Bufkin suited up in six games for the Lakers upon signing his 10-day pact, appearing in four of those contests while averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.5 assists and 0.3 steals in 11.3 minutes.
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Grizzlies' Kobe Bufkin: Off injury report
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Bufkin (personal) is not listed on the injury report ahead of Monday's game against the Nuggets.
Bufkin most recently played for the South Bay Lakers of the G League, where he missed Friday's game against the Santa Cruz Warriors due to personal reasons. He has since signed a 10-day hardship deal to join the Grizzlies, where he appears set to make his team debut Monday. Although he doesn't figure to see a major role, Bufkin could see some time due to Memphis' injuries at the guard spots.
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Kobe Bufkin: Cut loose by Brooklyn
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Bufkin is being waived by the Nets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Bufkin, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, struggled to stay healthy and establish a consistent role with the Hawks before being traded to the Nets in September. Facing a roster crunch, Brooklyn decided to move on from the young guard amid a crowded backcourt that includes returning scorer Cam Thomas and rookies Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Sitting out summer finale
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Bufkin won't play in Sunday's Las Vegas Summer League game against the Celtics due to rest, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.
Though he'll be idle for the Hawks' summer finale, Bufkin was a standout performer across his four appearances in Las Vegas, averaging 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals across 26.5 minutes per game. The Michigan product will look to earn a regular spot in the Atlanta rotation this season after missing significant time in 2024-25 after he underwent right shoulder surgery in early January.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Drops 25 points in SL win
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Bufkin accumulated 25 points (8-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block across 27 minutes in Monday's 111-108 Summer League overtime win over the Rockets.
Bufkin's nine turnovers Monday were less than ideal, but his efficient 25-point outing helped offset those hiccups. It's been an up-and-down Summer League for the young guard, who poured in 29 points Friday against the Heat before struggling with a 3-for-17 shooting night and 10 points Sunday versus the Suns. Bufkin was limited to only 10 regular-season appearances in 2024-25 due to a lingering shoulder issue that required surgery, averaging 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 38.3 percent from the floor.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Full-go for Summer League
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Bufkin, who underwent season-ending surgery Jan. 7 to address right shoulder instability, has been fully cleared for Summer League, Grant Afseth of RG.org reports.
Bufkin missed the final three months of the 2024-25 season. His rookie season was sabotaged by injuries as well, with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft having just 27 regular-season appearances under his belt with the Hawks. He's likely to be a featured player for the Hawks during the Summer League, although Afseth reports that he's expected to appear in only a few games before the team shuts him down. Bufkin has a real shot at carving out a rotation role this year.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Out for remainder of season
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Bufkin will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season, as he's undergoing surgery to address his right shoulder instability, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
This is a tough blow for the second-year guard, but he's expected to make a full recovery prior to the 2025-26 season. Bufkin struggled to see consistent run for the Hawks across 10 regular-season appearances, averaging 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 12.4 minutes.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Limited role continues Monday
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Bufkin chipped in 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-3 FT), two rebounds and one assist over 12 minutes during Monday's 124-112 win over the Pelicans.
Bufkin scored double-digit points for the first time this season, continuing his modest start to the campaign. Although he possesses an intriguing skill set, Bufkin has yet to carve out a sizeable role. His long-term prospects remain upbeat; however, it appears his only chance of playing consistent minutes this season will be if injuries befall those ahead of him in the rotation.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Serves as backup PG in debut
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Bufkin (shoulder) tallied five points (1-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and one rebound across 12 minutes off the bench in Monday's 109-108 win over the Kings.
The second-year player had missed the Hawks' first 14 games of the season while recovering from a right shoulder subluxation suffered late in the preseason before he was cleared to make his debut Monday. He immediately supplanted Keaton Wallace in the rotation and served as the backup to Trae Young, who covered the other 36 minutes at point guard. Though Bufkin can play off the ball, the Hawks are now back to full strength on the wing after Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) returned to action Monday following an extended absence of his own, so Bufkin may not see his minutes pick up unless Young misses time.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Available Monday
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Bufkin (shoulder) isn't listed on the injury report for Monday's game against the Kings, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.
Bufkin is cleared to make his season debut after missing the first month due to a dislocated right shoulder. The Hawks will be surprisingly healthy Monday, so it's unclear if Bufkin will actually see any playing time.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Remains out Sunday
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Bufkin (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Portland, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Bufkin has yet to make his season debut for the Hawks while working his way back from a dislocated right shoulder he sustained during the preseason. The 21-year-old's next chance to suit up will come in the second leg of a back-to-back set Monday against the Kings.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Unlikely to play Sunday
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Bufkin (shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Bufkin continues to work his way back from a dislocated right shoulder that he suffered during the preseason in October. He spent the past week in the G League to get some practice time, and while he was recalled by the Hawks on Friday, he doesn't appear ready to make his 2024-25 regular-season debut Sunday. Bufkin's next chance to play will be Monday against the Kings.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Recalled Friday
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Bufkin (shoulder) was recalled from the G League's College Park Skyhawks on Friday.
Bufkin has yet to make his season debut due to a dislocated right shoulder, though he was assigned to the G League to get some practice time with the squad. The 21-year-old is slated for a re-evaluation early next week, and he seems to be ramping up for a return to game action.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Practicing with G League
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Bufkin (shoulder) was assigned to the G League's College Park Skyhawks on Friday.
Per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bufkin will get a full practice in with the G League squad while he continues his rehab. The second-year guard has yet to make his season debut due to a shoulder injury but is slated to be re-evaluated early next week.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Will be re-evaluated in one week
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Bufkin (shoulder) is progressing through his rehabilitation and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.
Bufkin has yet to appear in a game this season due to his shoulder injury, but his recovery process seems to have gone well enough for him to potentially return soon. The Hawks have a myriad of injuries they are dealing with at the moment, so potentially getting Bufkin back would be massive for their guard rotation.
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Hawks' Kobe Bufkin: Team option exercised
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Bufkin's (shoulder) third-year option for 2025-26 was picked up by Atlanta on Wednesday
Bufkin's ongoing recovery from a shoulder subluxation has a multi-week timeline, and durability continues to be an issue for the young guard, who also spent time the G League last season but has logged just 17 NBA appearances. Nonetheless, his development is a priority for the Hawks.
