HT: 6'4 WS: n/a Age: 19 (2003) Position: Guard Projected Offensive role: PnR Ball-Handler, DHO receiver, Spot-up, Off-Screen Projected Defensive Role: Helper, Chaser, POA
A crafty lefty guard, Kobe's creation ability hinges on a combination of quick first-step & strong deceleration, paired with an array of fakes and counters. Michigan used him as a combo G both bringing the ball up and initiating pick and rolls but also spotting up and creating off Pindowns/DHOs. He has a very spread-out shot profile, splitting his attempts nearly evenly at the rim, mid, and from 3.
Bufkin has a good handle, able to dribble in tight spaces w/ either hand. He’s fairly reactive and loves to use hesitations, head fakes, and tween dribbles to establish pace and keep defenders honest. His long strides mean it doesn't take much for him to cover great distances, and he can decelerate quickly, giving him access to a variety of counters. It can be however a little loose at times and he could be more explosive w/ his moves.
Kobe is threat to shoot both off triple threat and pull-up situations [42% eFG/60th percentile]. His pull-up game has a strong foundation, able to shoot PU3s and PU2s going in either direction both off the hop and 1-2. He doesn't hesitate to shoot over contests and has a nice high release. Kobe has flashed the ability to get this shot-off of a variety of situations eg, (stopping on a dime, step-back, pound dribble or spin/Smitty, etc) However, his current ability is limited to mostly 1-2 dribbles, rarely will Kobe attempt a pull-up off more than that, either driving to the rim or resetting.
Kobe's greatest skill is finishing around the rim. Sporting a ridiculous [71%] at the rim, Kobe is fairly complete as a finisher, able to utilize his long arms to finish ambidextrously above the rim, while also showing great touch off-glass and w/ floaters. Despite the stellar results, his slight frame can be an issue; defenders bump him off his spots both trying to finish and shoot. He also developed a habit of finishing around defenders rather than through them. Which has led to a very pedestrian free throw rate [.240].
Bufkin is a generally good passer [21 USG, 17.4 AST%]. He's wired more on the unselfish side, keeping his head up and prioritizing finding looks for others. Prefers to make passes to the interior but possesses good vision, able to make skip passes weak-side, and finds shooters over his shoulder. Occasionally will display a high-end pass or mid-air dime, but these aren't a consistent part of his game yet. Other times he would make the correct read but would miss the window resulting in turnovers. He's much more comfortable passing with his left than his right and often he is far too predictable, telegraphing his passes and making them easy for defenders to pick off.
Similar to his pull-up, most of his playmaking came from a standstill or within a couple of dribbles. At times he's shown off vestiges of manipulation, using fakes and timing the help. But at this stage, he's much better served as a connector than a half-court creator. Its notable he avoided iso situations (only 17 possessions on the season) likely due to it being underdeveloped part of his game for now. Despite these struggles, he possesses a strong foundation for developing more into someone who can be a significant creator on a NBA team.
Off-Ball offense is where Kobe should slot in very easily at the pro level. He stays ready w/ his hips loaded off-ball, where he shoots [37%]. He's extremely dangerous when attacking a close-out w/ his quick first step and long strides it doesn't take much for him to get to the rim where he's an elite finisher. On top of that, he remains vigilant and is a dangerous swing passer off the catch where he can quickly get it to the open man. This is where Kobe should provide most of his offensive value early in his career.
He's also shown flashes of shooting off the move, he would come off pin-downs at Michigan, where he would look to drive most of the time but had a couple makes off motion.
The exact % on his 3point shot remains to be seen though, as he really struggled in a limited role as a freshman and early in his 2nd season shooting [13/63 ~ 21%] before finding his range in Dec 22' shooting [38/94 ~40%] for the rest of his college career but given his other touch indicators [82% at the line, 40% on non-paint 2s] Signs of being a positive shooter are strong.
Bufkin is a good defensive prospect. Kobe stands out with his high STL and BLK percentages both [>= 2%]. This can be attributed to his greatest trait which is hands. Kobe possesses great speed and coordination with his hands able to cleanly time strips and consistently block shots on taller players. A rare shot-blocking guard, Kobe is a threat to swat the ball, on chase downs, when recovering, and when contesting jump shots. (The lefty contests tend to catch offensive players off guard.)
Rotationally, Kobe is pretty good for his age, he's constantly communicating and consistently engaged. He is not someone who gets disengaged off ball, but he is still prone to the occasional lapse of the brain fart variety where he mis-rotates or is late. But while he remains solid he doesn't show many high-end rotations to the point where it is considered an elite skill for him.
On the ball, Michigan often uses him to defend the best opposing guard. He stays reactive not biting on fakes and contesting using his length and verticality. While Bufkin does stick to his man well, he's not particularly quick and is often contesting from behind (his length is a great asset here still allowing him to contest and sometimes block shots)
Kobe can sometimes struggle with navigating screens. His footwork needs to improve here but the biggest issue is just his strength disadvantage where it's too easy for defenders to bump him. After putting on some more weight he projects to guard 1-2 and some 3s at the next level although he will likely struggle at the onset of his career due to the lack of strength. I would expect him to be positive but not an elite defender at the next level.