Oh damn, I did not expect that, very smart to take a shot on him, don’t want another team picking him up. Fully expected us to give him the other 2-way and waive Smith Jr or something. I wonder what this means for any other buyout players, if we waive anyone, but yes he is likely as good or better than anyone out there right now.
ok, so i was thinking a bit about who bufkin reminded me of, and it's actually...dylan harper? they're almost the same size, both left-handed, smooth offensive players. bufkin's not quite as explosive, but not too far off, tbh. combine measurements (including vert) were pretty similar (same height, same standing reach). bufkin's sophomore stats in college were similar to harper's freshman stats. and i looked up some other stuff and didn't realize how many injuries he had his first two years (broken thumb, then shoulder subluxation that led to surgery). i'm actually super bullish on this guy, tbh. if he reaches his potential, he's basically exactly the kind of player you'd want at the pg spot with reaves and luka. to me, this frees up our first round pick to look for a young DFS type. anyone seen jefferson at iowa state? he fits the bill there, imo. anyway, that's off topic. i'm hoping we get to see bufkin on the floor some this year.
According to Pincus, the Lakers were really high on Bufkin during the draft. I'm wondering if that was Joey/Jesse. A lot of times, as we all know, these guys go to crappy teams and they never get developed properly. Hopefully, with a clean state here, a defined role and assignment from JJ, he can improve his game. It will be a lot easier playing next to Luka/Reaves without the pressure of being the "main guy." If he works out, that's a score. I wanted to keep develop NSJ, but I may be wrong on him. A little small for the position, and I'd be open to cutting him, and grabbing a wing to develop. Either way, it's a smart move here. Hope it works out.
Young DFS type why? Would he be better than Jake in 2 years? I doubt it. And for a backup SF we have DK (joking).
yeah, word right after the jhs draft was that bufkin was our target. could have been busses. also, rob's a michigan guy, so maybe that played a role (silly, but this happens--mitch loved UNC guys, right?). and i'm not down on nick smith. he's got poor man's monk potential. i just think bufkin has a higher ceiling as a potential two-way guy who can legitimately play pg and is oversized for the position. i think jj likes forwards who can play up a spot for stretches. jake can do some of that, but ideally we'd want someone a little bigger, more athletic and a better shooter. think: faster, smarter rui. or two jakes would also be good.
I like Jefferson's game and he might even fall into the early second round. Seems like we don't really go for bigs in the draft but Lendenborg (if he drops) would be a DFS type with even more offense. Or I already mentioned Jayden Quaintance (ACL injury concerns) or Morez Johnson. 2nd rounder wings could be Dash Daniels or Miles Byrd (who was one of the top POA defenders last year as a freshman, though he might stay for another year).
Faster smarter Rui is an almost-an-allstar, you are not drafting that at our spot, not for the first 2 - 3 years, unless he's Flagg. So... it's a Jake, basically. I actually don't think we can really draft for a need. May be a backup PG?
love lendebourg, but i'd take him in the top 10 and couldn't imagine him slipping to us. i think generally speaking that 3 and D forwards are often drafted later because they don't have star potential, so i think there will be one where we pick. whether we get them or not is another question, but historically speaking, two or three such guys will probably go where we draft or after. i also don't think athletic forward is too narrow a category in terms of drafting for need. i guess we did that with thiero last year, though.
This is a good move. He has real potential, he has just had to deal with a few injuries, and... well, Bufkin is not exactly buff. Still, he has a nice touch, finishes well around the rim, and shows solid defensive instincts. What could happen here is we develop him, he ends up better than expected, and then we somehow let him walk for nothing.
not done with bufkin comps (i know you were secretly wondering...is abeer3 done with bufkin comps? no, no he is not). bufkin is also basically the same size as max christie and could slot into the role that pro-max folks (not ox) feel is missing since we sold low on him.
Getting Kobe now more than makes up for the JHS miss. It’s who we reportedly wanted at the time and now at less money than he would have been with the 1st round salary, plus he has had some experience now bumping around in and around the fringe of the NBA (G-League) to get accustomed to the step up in speed and talent required. Knecht himself if he ever gets past his own mental hangups could erase the mistake drafting HIM so far has turned out to be, not to mention add some value again to any potential future trade. Wouldn’t that be something?
A bit of logjam now that Kennard actually can play vs Gabe. Hard to get Bufkin minutes unless Lebron sits out a the next game due to a back to back
