Hawks get key injury update on promising rookie guard

22/03/2024 05:44

Head coach Quin Snyder and the Atlanta Hawks are currently stumbling to the finish line of what has been a disastrous 2023-24 campaign. The Hawks currently look to be locked into tenth place in the vaunted Eastern Conference playoff picture, and Snyder and his staff have been forced to navigate a slew of injuries this season, including most notably to star point guard Trae Young, as well as numerous ailments sustained by talented third year power forward Jalen Johnson.

One of the lesser talked about injuries for Atlanta this year has been that of rookie guard Kobe Bufkin out of Michigan, who has been out of the lineup for multiple weeks now with a left toe injury.

However, if the latest reports are any indication, Bufkin could be well on his way to making a return to the lineup just in time for Atlanta’s presumable matchup on the road against the Chicago Bulls in the 9 vs 10 play in game in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“Kobe Bufkin is "making progress in his rehabilitation" from a left toe sprain. He will be re-evaluated again in 7-10 days,” reported Brad Rowland of the Locked on Hawks podcast on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.

Meanwhile, the Hawks also got an important update on second year wing AJ Griffin, who has mostly either been injured or with the Hawks’ College Parks Skyhawks G-League affiliate for the majority of the 2023-24 season.

“AJ Griffin had an MRI and has been diagnosed with a right high ankle sprain. He will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days,” reported Rowland.

Kobe Bufkin’s importance to the Hawks

AJ Griffin was selected by the Hawks’ front office this past summer after spending his college days playing for the University of Michigan. Likely factoring into this decision by Atlanta’s brass was the layup line display put on by the Boston Celtics in the first round matchup between the two teams in the 2023 postseason, as Boston had what looked like an All You Can Eat buffet against the Hawks’ perimeter “defense” in that series.

In his limited playing time with the squad this year, Kobe Bufkin has indeed shown flashes of the perimeter defense the team hoped he would bring to the table when they selected him. Bufkin has an elite ability to be a deterrent on that end of the floor, showing great ball hawking instincts, quick hands, and situational awareness to help solidify a Hawks’ perimeter defense that is otherwise among the NBA’s worst.

When Atlanta made that selection, some fans questioned how Bufkin would eventually fit alongside Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the Hawks’ backcourt should he ever work his way into the starting lineup. However, that question may no longer matter after this summer, as the Hawks are widely expected to reengage in trade talks surrounding Murray after those ran rampant around the trade deadline earlier this season.

In any case, the Hawks next take the floor on Thursday night vs the Phoenix Suns on the road.

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