The Summer League is the NBA’s annual proving ground for recent draftees looking to establish their reputations and veteran players hoping to earn a crack at a roster spot. The very nature of the setup makes for one of the most competitive environments in basketball which personally makes this one of my favorite times of the year. It has to be said (and repeated) that Summer League success does not always translate to the NBA* however, what these two weeks do is give us the opportunity to see how some of the league’s less established players operate when they have a bit more leeway than they are typically granted during the regular season.
*A bit dated, but here is an interesting article written on how summer league play correlates to the NBA by Mark Richards over at Model284.
For the Atlanta Hawks, the Vegas Summer League has given us a chance to get a glimpse of 2023 draftees Kobe Bufkin, Seth Lundy and Mouhammed Gueye (who has raised a few eyebrows with his play so far), as well as some familiar faces in Tyrese Martin, Vit Krejci and A.J. Griffin. Though it is extremely unlikely that players like Brady Manek (walking bucket) or Mofondou Kabengele will earn roster spots once the season begins, it has been fun to cheer them on while they are rocking the red and white. While it would be imprudent to draw any sweeping conclusions from the mere 80 minutes of Hawks basketball we’ve seen so far in summer league, what, if anything, can we glean from Atlanta’s first two games?
Kobe Bufkin is Not Shy
In 55 minutes of summer league action, Kobe Bufkin has already taken 33 shots. That is 11 more than A.J. Griffin, who ranks second on the team in total field goal attempts. His attempt rate of 0.6 shots per minute exceeds that of Trae Young’s from last season (0.54 shots per minute)* and is one of the higher figures in all of Summer League. Needless to say, this is a lot of shots for any player, but particularly for one who has been tasked with point guard duties for his team. At times, it looked like Bufkin was forcing the action, trying a little too hard to validate his first-round draft status rather than finding the best shot for the team. When you mix in the fact that he is converting his looks at a 30% clip, and has posted just a 0.75 assist to turnover ratio (9 assists, 12 turnovers) so far, it paints a slightly underwhelming picture of the 15th overall pick in the draft.
*It is worth noting that Summer League games are typically played at a faster pace than regular season games
So, should we all write off Bufkin entirely and figure out when the earliest is that he can be included in a potential Pascal Siakam deal? Absolutely not! While he is still searching for his comfort zone in summer league, one trait that Bufkin clearly has in spades is an unwavering self-belief in his scoring ability (and a pretty deep bag of tricks to back it up) – something that will be invaluable when playing alongside Trae Young and/or Dejounte Murray this season. The Hawks need players that can create for themselves and others off the dribble in order to make defenses pay for sending extra defenders in Young and Murray’s direction. Too often last year, the team’s offense stalled out after the team’s “other guys” were too slow to attack a seam created by Young or Murray. That should not be a problem with Bufkin as he has the shooting ability to make defender’s pay for not closing out quickly enough, as well as the quickness and ball handling to make them pay for closing out too hard.
While it is clear that he is being miscast as a lead ball handler in Summer League, Bufkin was always viewed as more of an off-guard coming out of college, and will surely occupy this role for the Hawks first-team as long as Young and Murray remain healthy. His ability to hold up on the defensive end remains the biggest question mark regarding his ability to get on the floor as a rookie, however I am not concerned about him on the offensive end despite a rough showing through the first two games.
Over the next three games, I would like to see Bufkin play more under control, cut down on his turnovers, and improve his shot selection in the half court. He has taken a lot of contested mid-range jumpers (low efficiency shots) after pounding the rock for the majority of the shot clock, and I would love to see him either get to the rim, or move off the ball and give others a chance to make a play for him. It remains to be seen how well Bufkin’s playmaking ability (2.9 assists per game at Michigan last year) will translate to the next level, but for now, the Hawks’ appear to have added a capable offensive threat to their bench.
Mouhamed Gueye: Remember the Name
It is only been two games, but Mouhammed Gueye (not to be confused with Mouhamadou Gueye of the Toronto Raptors) is already looking like one of the steals of the 2023 draft. The 6’11” forward from Dakar, Senegal moves incredibly well for a player his size (which can undoubtedly be attributed to his upbringing as a soccer player*), and has made Hawks’ fans giddy with the flashes of shooting, ball-handling and playmaking that he has displayed so far in Summer League. Seriously, check out this highlight tape from game one of summer league. Does that look like a guy who has only played four years of organized hoops?
Gueye is averaging 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game on 7/15 shooting (4/8 on twos, 3/7 on threes, 3/6 at the charity stripe) so far in Summer League, and has shown impressive instincts on the offensive glass and navigating the pick-and-roll. I am eager to see how he builds upon these first two performances, and whether the Hawks’ coaching staff tries to feature him a little more on the offensive end. While he’s probably going to need to add some weight to his 210 pound frame and spend some time in the G-League to grow comfortable with the complexities of the NBA game, Gueye’s potential is sky-high and there’s no ceiling on how good he will be by the end of his 4-year contract. Atlanta is excited to have you, Mo!
Tyrese Martin and Vit Krejci are Playing for their Futures
With the Atlanta Hawks announcing that they have guaranteed Bruno Fernando’s contact for the upcoming season earlier today, the team has 14 players on guaranteed contracts – which means that just one roster spot remains before they reach the regular season roster limit of 15 players. The Hawks can either use their final roster spot to sign a free agent with their MLE ($12.4 million), or go with the more cost-effective option and guarantee one of Tyrese Martin or Vit Krejci’s contracts for next season. Martin, a 6’6” forward out of UConn, was the 51st pick in last year’s draft and averaged 18 points (36.6% from three on 4.3 3pa’s/game), and 8.8 rebounds for College Park Skyhawks in the G-League last season. Krejci, a 6’9” forward from the Czech Republic, was the 37th pick in the 2020 draft however is a year younger than Martin and has appeared in 59 NBA games over the past two seasons.
Given the situation, there appears to be a little extra pep in both players’ steps as they play under the watchful eyes of Quin Snyder and Landry Fields. Martin, whose primary skill is scoring the basketball, has gotten the start in both games, followed up a 1/8 showing in game one with 21 points on 8/12 shooting (3/6 from downtown) in game two. Krejci, more of a playmaker, has come off the bench although led the team in assists in each of the first two games, totaling 5 dimes on Friday night and 6 more on Sunday, made all the more impressive by the fact that he’s only turned the ball over twice so far. By my estimate, both players have the potential to be NBA-level contributors, however with just one roster spot remaining, Atlanta will be forced to make a decision between the two, or choose neither, and sign a veteran of the free agent scrapheap.
Martin’s guarantee date is July 21st while Krejci’s is a few months later, on January 10th, 2024*. Expect both players to continue to impress in Summer League.
*I am unsure what the rules are on if they can keep Krejci around on a non-guaranteed deal during the regular season
The Hawks are back in action Wednesday afternoon at 4pm on ESPN
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