Kobe Bufkin's untapped playmaking upside is a critical aspect to why teams keep taking a chance on him. After bouncing around practice squads and G-League affiliates to start the 2025-2026 season, Kobe has finally been given a shot at real minutes by the Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day contract.
The Hawks' timeline just wasn't right for Bufkin. With Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, and even point forward Jalen Johnson taking all the ball handling duties, there just wasn't enough space for Kobe to prove himself.
The Nets likely elected to move a different direction than Bufkin due to their ridiculously filled backcourt eating up nearly the entire minutes pie in Brooklyn. As they plan to develop their young talent, Kobe just wasn't at the top of the list.
The Lakers, while assigning Bufkin to their G-League affiliate for a portion of the year, also didn't need his services, due to the presence of Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves not particularly necessitating any more playmakers on the roster.
Memphis, however, just might be the perfect fit that Bufkin has been searching so long to find.
The Grizzlies are a perfect system for Kobe Bufkin to thrive in
Bufkin's ability to run the pick-and-roll with competent bigs was a real strength of his during his tenure in Atlanta. Most often, his partner was Clint Capela. Despite his limited athleticism as more and more years got behind him, Clint was still a serious aerial threat. Fortunately for Kobe, Memphis has even more big threats that Kobe can partner up with.
The Grizzlies roster perhaps the most dominant interior trio in basketball when healthy - the 6'11 Jaren Jackson Jr., flanked by the 7'0 Santi Aldama and the 7'3 titan Zach Edey form an absolute wall on the defensive end, as well as offer a serious threat on a nightly basis on the offensive glass.
If Bufkin can utilize this trio's size and savvy the way that Atlanta fans know he is capable of, it wouldn't be farfetched to think he could become Morant's perennial backup point guard, as their current depth is limited to Vince Williams Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (neither of which are true points), as well as Cam Spencer.
With all the Morant trade rumors spiraling around, Bufkin could even carve out a starting role this year. His ceiling is limitless, and Atlanta is rooting for the youngster to finally get a chance to prove himself in a system more suited to his abilities.