The Las Vegas Summer League has gotten underway, with most teams playing on Sunday now in their second game. The Hawks took down the Heat on Friday as slight underdogs, thanks to a big performance from Kobe Bufkin. I’m targeting the guard to see more heavy volume in his second game of Summer League against the Suns.
Bufkin is exactly the type of player we want to target in this setting — a former high pick with a couple of years of NBA experience. That’s the template for the safest bet on a player that should stand out in Summer League. The guard was the No. 15 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, just slipping out of the lottery. Bufkin was a good scorer at Michigan, but has only played in 27 NBA games so far in his career. That said, the Hawks made a significant investment in him, and Summer League is the perfect place to let Bufkin shine.
Bufkin was extremely aggressive in his first game this summer, going for 29 points in 26 minutes. The encouraging part isn’t just the result, it’s how much usage he saw. Bufkin didn’t even shoot well en route to his 29 points against Miami, finishing 6-for-16 from the field, including only 2-of-9 from deep. That said, he really attacked, getting to the free throw line 15 times, and making all of them.
This is a player that Atlanta is clearly featuring in Las Vegas, and may even consider resting after getting a few games under his belt. Look for Bufkin to see a ton more volume on Sunday against Phoenix and have another big game in the points column.
Summer League Play: Kobe Bufkin 20+ Points (+100) – 0.5-units
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