Atlanta Hawks Guard Kobe Bufkin Will Undergo Season Ending Shoulder Surgery

The former first round pick will underdog season ending surgery in January

Nov 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin (4) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards (4) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks announced some bad news today for former first round pick Kobe Bufkin. Per the Hawks "After continued evaluation and additional medical opinions, guard Kobe Bufkin and the Hawks have determined that Bufkin will undergo surgery to address right shoulder instability on January 7, 2025. He will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season and is expected to make a full recovery for the 2025-26 season."

An @emoryhealthcare injury update:

After continued evaluation and additional medical opinions, guard Kobe Bufkin and the Hawks have determined that Bufkin will undergo surgery to address right shoulder instability on January 7, 2025.

He will miss the remainder of the 2024-25… pic.twitter.com/7hRSq0Z6DV

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 18, 2024

This is tough news for Bufkin. He has battled injuries during his first two seasons in the NBA and had only played in 10 games this season. He averaged 5.3 PPG and shooting 38% from the field and 22% from three. He was limited to 17 games last season and injuries prevented him from playing in Summer League this past summer. Bufkin has talent, but has only played in 27 games across his first two seasons in the NBA. Hopefully he can recover quickly and be ready to try and make an impact next season.

Selected by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bufkin appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, notching 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes. The Michigan product scored his first NBA point at Milwaukee on Oct. 29, knocking down a free throw.

He saw action in 14 games (all starts) with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League in 2023-24, averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes. He netted 34 points in his Skyhawks debut on Dec. 27 against Greensboro, marking the most points scored in a Skyhawks’ debut in club history. In a win over the Motor City Cruise on Jan. 15, Bufkin tallied 12 points, 12 assists, and five steals in 36 minutes, becoming the first Skyhawk in franchise history to contribute 10+ points, 10+ assists, and 5+ steals in a single outing.

I don't know how much this changes things for the Hawks. Vit Krejci has been the backup point guard at different points this year for them and unless the Hawks go and acquire another guard (which is possible), then Krejci will likely resume those duties. This could be an area the Hawks' address at the trade deadline, but with the way the team is playing, I doubt they are in a rush to make moves right now.

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