Michigan Basketball: New scouting notes on 4-star Kobe Bufkin

Michigan basketball commit Kobe Bufkin participated in the Brawl for the Ball tournament in Indiana. Here are some notes on the Wolverines recruit.

Michigan basketball commit Kobe Bufkin, alongside his Grand Rapids Storm teammates, competed against team Reach Legends at the Brawl for the Ball tournament in Indiana and in limited minutes, Bufkin made it clear why he was a priority to the staff.

Here are a few scouting notes on Bufkin, who showed by Michigan basketball worked so hard for his commitment:

– Bufkin has deceptive speed

Kobe doesn’t always show it. It’s those times he’s caught 12 feet away from his man and yet as soon as the pass arrives at its destination, Bufkin kicks into warp speed and closes before his mistake turns into a bucket. On offense, he slowly drags his feet and then, just when his guy relaxes, Kobe blows past his defender.

– Great court vision

Right when the second defender thinks he’s approached undetected, Bufkin does it again. It’s a perfect pass to a teammate or a flawless post move for a bucket. Either way, Kobe knows where he’s at on the court, where the opponents are, and where his open teammate is positioned.

– Wingspan to prevent offense down low

When you see Bufkin you think he’s pretty tall, but when he put his hands up under the basket and you see how close they are to touching the rim, you realize just how long his reach is. It’s devastating in high school and that range will be effective in college.

Bonus: Really looks more like a two rather than a three.

I’ve heard many people say that Bufkin is more of a small forward rather than a two guard. He could easily succeed at either position, and will likely will be put to the test at both, but with Michigan basketball, the two-guard position will fit him best.

Double bonus: Has Jordan Poole level swagger

Jordan Poole is one of the smoothest basketball players to step foot in Crisler Center and his status is in jeopardy. Kobe Bufkin is nearing that level. Bufkin could be the next one with a Houston moment.

The issues

This is coming from limited footage, but Kobe does commit the occasional mental mistake that’s easily avoidable. It seems he might get distracted by looking ahead to the next play or the next basket, instead of concentrating on the present.

Other than that, Bufkin sometimes gets stuck in the mindset that he’s going to score no matter what,  and he settles for a longer — and sometimes — off-balance shot. Because he has the accuracy, he still sinks some of the wild ones.

Matt’s musings

While the Storm may have been defeated, they were in the game the entire time and without Bufkin for a significant period of that time.

When he was on the court, Grand Rapids was the better team and was barely hanging on without him. Don’t get me wrong, he has talented teammates, but so do the Legends, and tonight, Reach out-weathered the Storm.