Ahead of the Lakers‘ showdown against the Hawks tonight, head coach JJ Redick spoke to the media about the team’s newest signing: Kobe Bufkin. After an impressive stint with the South Bay Lakers, Bufkin joins the team on a 10-day contract with an opportunity to establish a permanent place on the roster.
According to Redick (via Dave McMenamin), Bufkin is sure to get some playing time at some point during his 10-day stint, although he confirmed he will not make his debut in tonight’s game against Atlanta. As for why the Lakers signed him in the first place, Redick noted his tendencies to “be engaged” and “guard,” which fill two major needs for the team right now.
Considering this is Bufkin’s first day with the team, it makes sense that Redick did not play him tonight. He’ll need some time to get acclimated to the NBA scene (and the Lakers’ playbook) before he can really be given a fair chance in a real game. At 22 years old, Bufkin isn’t expected to get any significant minutes in the rotation, but there is faith internally that he can help a Lakers team that desperately needs a spark off the bench. At the very least, he’s a low-risk addition who brings more flexibility to the roster.
The 6’4″ guard has been lighting up the G League this season with averages of 28.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 54.0% shooting and 39.0% shooting from three through seven games. In the NBA, Bufkin has limited experience, with just 27 games played for the Hawks over the past two seasons.
As an unproven bench player fresh from the G League, you can’t expect Bufkin to have a major impact right away. Still, he can make an impression by providing stable perimeter shooting, effort on the floor, and consistent attention to detail. At 23-14 so far (losers of three straight games), this addition has the potential to spark a run that will turn the season around.
The only question now is, when can we expect him on the floor? If he doesn’t play tonight, Thursday’s game against the Hornets is the perfect opportunity for him to suit up. Depending on how he plays will likely set the stage for his minutes in Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers. What Redick will be watching for is not how many points he scores, but rather a consistent level of focus, confident shooting, and strong defense on the perimeter.
