Raptors Among Teams 'Strongly' Connected to Michigan's Kobe Bufkin Ahead of NBA Draft

The Toronto Raptors are reportedly being strongly connected to Michigan's Kobe Bufkin ahead of next week's NBA Draft

All Raptors Staff | Jun 16, 2023

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Toronto Raptors

Something strange is going on with Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin.

The sophomore guard has been among the biggest risers as the NBA Draft approaches less than a week away and, according to ESPN, Bufkin has suddenly shut down his workouts leading to speculation that he could have a promise to be selected by a team in the lottery.

Who exactly that might be remains unclear but the Toronto Raptors, owners of the 13th pick, have been among the teams “strongly” connected to Bufkin, Jonathan Givony said on the Lowe Post Podcast.

Washington, Orlando, Utah, and Oklahoma City have all been connected to Bufkin as well, Givony said.

Bufkin was a breakout star for the Wolverines last season, averaging 14 points, 2.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 35.5% from behind the arc as an unusually young 19-year-old sophomore. Over his final eight games of the year, he averaged 19.3 points while shooting 45% from three-point range on five attempts per game.

There isn’t an obvious weakness in Bufkin’s game. He can create for himself and others, play both on and off the ball, and is a ferocious point-of-attack defender. The one question for him is going to be his size, 6-foot-5 and just 187 pounds, relatively slight for an NBA combo guard.

It’s unclear if Toronto has been able to bring in Bufkin but he appears to be a player to keep an eye on if he’s still available when the Raptors’ pick rolls around toward the end of the lottery.

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