2023 NBA Mock Draft: Trail Blazers get future star, Magic surprise at 6
By Tyler Watts
12. Oklahoma City Thunder take Kobe Bufkin
The Thunder are loaded with talent and draft picks. At some point, they will have to try to pull off a blockbuster deal for a superstar, but they are comfortable just stacking up assets right now. Chet Holmgren is set to return from injury to give them another young star next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Jaylin Williams.
Bufkin has limited his workouts in the pre-draft process, which has most experts believing he has a promise from some team in the lottery. The Thunder have been a natural link as they have a history of making such promises to high-upside prospects they believe in.
Bufkin just finished his second season at the University of Michigan, but he is younger than several of the prospects projected to go above him. The 19-year-old averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 34.0 minutes per game last season. He shot 35.5 percent from 3-point range and blossomed down the stretch as the Wolverines gave him additional ball-handling responsibilities.
Kobe Bufkin is 6’4 and a bit undersized on the wing, but he would fit well as the sixth man in Oklahoma City. The 19-year-old can come in and get buckets as he grows with the Thunder’s young core.