Atlanta Hawks’ second-year guard Kobe Bufkin can’t catch a break injury-wise. The Hawks announced that Bufkin injured his shoulder Tuesday night at summer league practice and will not participate in this year’s Las Vegas Event.
“Kobe Bufkin injured his right shoulder during Tuesday evening’s summer league practice. An MRI taken at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex revealed findings consistent with a right shoulder subluxation. He will not play in the Las Vegas Summer League and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of training camp.”
Hawks Young Guard Suffers Another Injury
While Bufkin won’t be available to play for the Hawks this summer, he is slated to be ready for training camp. This is good news for the youngster, as he should be among the players competing for a rotational spot.
Bufkin, the No. 15 pick in the 2023 draft, didn’t see much time last year with the Hawks, though that was as expected as they figured to compete for a playoff spot. Plus, Dejounte Murray, Trae Young, and Bogdan Bogdanovic played over 30 minutes a game. Young and Murray saw 36 minutes a game.
Bufkin battled a few injuries during his rookie season. The 20-year-old played 31 games between the G-League College Park Skyhawks and the Hawks, missing time with a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe.
The left-handed Bufkin saw the majority of his minutes with Atlanta at the end of the season. During that time, he showed off his scoring, athleticism, ability to create offensively, and turnover-creating abilities, which made him such an exciting prospect for the Hawks.
Over the final seven games of the regular season, Bufkin totaled 48 points, 12 assists, four steals, four blocks, and committed five turnovers. However, Bufkin struggled with his shooting as he did throughout the season, particularly from deep. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes.
Bufkin thrived in 14 games with College Park, averaging 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. He shot produced two double-doubles and scored a career-high 40 points while shooting 44.6/35.6/82.9%. However, turnovers were an issue.
Atlanta Hawks Las Vegas Summer League Roster
Atlanta’s summer league squad will not have a lot of intrigue. However, it will give a few of the Hawks youngsters some run.
2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher will garner most of the attention. Although, the Hawks’ two second-round picks from the past two years, Nikola Djustic (2024) and Muhammad Gueye (2023), should also get quite a bit of run.
Risacher will have a huge role for the Hawks this year at the two or three. The 19-year-old will likely come off the bench early in the season, though a big summer league and training camp could change that mindset.
Meanwhile, Gueye will have a tough time breaking into the Hawks rotation. Gueye spent most of last season in the G-League, appearing in six games with the Hawks for 73 minutes. He averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 boards with a 34.8/33.3/83.3% shooting slash line with the Hawks.
Djustic, a 20-year-old Belgian, could earn a two-way contract with a strong performance during the summer league and training camp. But it is more likely the 6-7 small forward will remain stashed overseas. Miami selected him with the No. 43 pick and landed him with the Hawks in a three-team trade that sent AJ Griffin to Houston.
Dylan Windler who was on a two-way contract with the Hawks last season, will also play in the summer league for the team.
Hawks Roster Situation
Atlanta has 16 players on standard contracts with allocations equal to $174.7 million, leaving them $3.3 million clear of the first apron. On Thursday, the Hawks re-signed 2020 second-round draft pick Vit Krejci to a four-year, $10 million contract.
Krejci produced 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists with a shooting slash line of 49.0/41.2/83.3% in 23 games this past season. The 6-8 combo guard had four double-figure scoring games.
The signing of Krejci, the acquisition of Dyson Daniels from New Orleans as part of the Murray, and Risacher’s arrival mean that the Hawks have a crowded backcourt.
Young, Daniels, and Bogdanovic head into training camp as the favorites to start in the backcourt. Risacher may throw a wrench into that play, though he also could compete with De’Andre Hunter for the starting small forward spot.
Daniels will likely serve as the Hawks’ second-ball handler, whether he starts or comes off the bench. This likely leaves Bufkin to compete with Krejci and Garrison Mathews for the Hawks’ fourth and fifth guard spots. Mathews may have the edge in this battle due to his shooting ability, but will have to monitor the situation.
Bruno Fernando is the likely odd man out as he has a non-guaranteed contract. The Hawks have until August 1 to make a decision on his status. The Hawks have two open two-way spots.
