With their final roster spot, Atlanta had two backup roles worth addressing: point guard and center. The club opted for the latter by acquiring center N'Faly Dante, who was on a two-way contract with Houston last season.
This is good news for Kobe Bufkin - the backup point guard spot will firmly be his at the start of the season. Bufkin has had a pair of injuries that have limited his NBA career to just 27 games over two seasons, and he hasn't impressed on the court yet. Despite this, the Hawks believe in Bufkin, and there are good reasons to think that.
Bufkin's summer league performance was likely a major factor in the decision to trust him with the backup role. Sure, summer league is not representative of NBA competition, but Bufkin was clearly one of the best players in Vegas. He showed an impressive ability to run an offense, had multiple 25+ point games, and was a visible leader on the floor.
Kobe Bufkin has his chance to prove his doubters wrong
For Bufkin to fully crack the rotation, he must show he can thrive in two phases of the game: as a lead point guard and as a supporting shooting guard.
Bufkin's biggest test is as a point guard when Young rests. Bufkin was a shooting guard in high school and college, and has had few NBA reps to learn the role. While he has struggled up to this point, his summer league performance came as the lead guard.
While it is true Bufkin will experience better defense in the NBA, he will also have one of the best bench units in the league supporting him. Help defenders will be paralyzed by the dynamic shooting of Luke Kennard and Caleb Houstan, and whoever Atlanta's bench center is will be the best backup five in the league. Bufkin has the best chance of his career to prove that he can be Atlanta's long-term backup point guard.
But Bufkin must also show he can play alongside Young to earn more than a dozen minutes per game. Bufkin has been a poor three-point shooter in his NBA career, which is a crucial skill on a Young-led team. Young's wizard-like pick and roll ability creates easy three-point opportunities for his team. For Bufkin to reap the rewards of playing with Young, he has to knock down his open catch-and-shoot threes.
In his NBA career, Bufkin's greatest offensive strength has been his ability to create opportunities off the pick and roll. His greatest weakness has been converting on his opportunities, self-created or otherwise. If he can show his summer league improvements were real by improving his efficiency, Bufkin could surprise fans across the league this year.