According to Jonathan Givony, Kobe Bufkin is rising up draft boards and likely will be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
His rise in this year's NBA Draft is eerily similar to Franz Wagner's rise a few years ago
Beilein would've put him ahead of Wembanyama ... right?
Good for him and good for the program.
I know Juwan 2023 is liked around here about the same as Jimmy was in 2020 but I still believe in him.
You’re the eternal optimist that makes this board less super-depressing-sucky
Hey! I ran into a couple of your co-workers in Cleveland yesterday. They said you were at a conference north of border. I told them to say hello for me.
I still believe in him too, I feel like he's shown he's a good coach, but the team is currently in a bad state because of bad roster management that was only made worse by a few admissions screw jobs.
Seems much easier to stabilize the roster situation going forward, especially with a roster as small as basketball, than it is to fix any coaching deficiencies.
I think Juwan will turn this around. The 5 stars are hard to keep and they sure don't help a program sometimes. Just as you get them going in a positive direction they are gone.
Also I was also a Jimmy supporter (and my posting record shows it). 2020 was no reason to fire anyone. The big ten cancelled the season, other conferences did not, 5 of our starters leave or declare, then the league decides to play. Warde is not stupid and being a former University administrator myself, I admired his vision to see through that. Warde brought the department through some dark times only to be rewarded for his courage to stand by the best coach in football. He will give Juwan the room to turn this around and as long as he get the academic supprort (allowing players in) he will be fine.
So you support a coach that had the number 1 transfer in the nation and 2 first round draft picks (one a lottery) but could not make the fucking tourney? I won't even get into his temper.
#1 transfer? wait, i thought he sucked and the team would be better without him.
He either has a silent promise, or he’s pulling the ole ‘velvet rope, long line in front of an empty club’ trick.
I just saw that Kobe and Jett were invited to the "green room" for the draft. SIAP.
If you'd told me preseason that those two would be in the green room for the draft, I'd be thinking possible (if not probable) Big Ten championship and a deep tourney run. Alas.
At least we can give the program credit for player development, right? Right?
Jett, guy. Jett.
D'oh. Fixed. Thanks.
Yeah, give Mulan Howard credit for development.
A reminder to all that the NBA drafts on potential not on performance. We all saw Jett's potential, and the way Kobe developed over two years we also saw his potential, which is why most of us wished for one or both to stay another year. I think that Coach Howard does a good job of preparing his players for the NBA, and the coaches and GMs see the fruits of that preparation in the various pre-draft workouts. That would explain why U of M's players seem to always rise up draft boards between the end of the season and the draft. Now if only Juwan were better at developing his players for playing in college and not so good at prepping them for their careers after college, we'd most likely be a bit happier.
Must be that coaching!
I love Bufkin, but what?
Franz was significantly better. This doesn’t make sense to me.
2nd rounder
Bufkin has every trait needed to be an elite 2 way player. Just needs to continue bulking up
There’s a huge space between “not as good as Franz” and “second rounder”. Kobe is definitely a solid player and with development, will be a good NBA player
Sure, but Franz was drafted 8th. Kobe might not go that high, but top 14 I can see
Kobe has enough upside that he is a lottery pick; I am hoping my Raptors pick him, even though he is more of a 2 instead of a 1. FFV turned down the option, so they need guards.
Kobe is definitely a 1st rounder, not going to say a "lock" for the lottery, but this kid had a ton of potential
Reading this and maybe all that’s been going on in my life but it feels like last basketball season was 84 years ago.
If he can put on a little muscle, he’s going to be a good two way player. Isn’t tall but has a good wingspan to guard twos and threes. A lot of potential too. I’d take him ~8
Say what you will about Juwan, but he’ll almost certainly end up producing lottery picks in 3 out of 4 years (Franz in 2021, Kobe and Jett in 2023, TWill in 2024).
TWill as in Terrance Williams? He's not even a draft pick, let alone lottery.
He's not even a starter anymore.
You forgot /s.
Blasphemy not to include Cheddar in there.
Wagner reminded me of LaVert, who Bufkin reminds me of. All have all-around skills, all take good 2-point shots, all had 'room to grow.'
And it's easy to project his shooting based on FT% and his improving his 3PT%.
Franz is already dregrees better than Caris has ever. been in the NBA.
Worked out well for Orlando and Franz. Hope it works out as well for Kobe.
Both Kobe and Jett got invited to the green room on draft night. Frick'n awesome.
Sounds like NBA teams have faith in their coaches being able to coach them up.
What does that say about Juwan? You have to ask that question.
Yeah, I don't understand why the half-court offense with Kobe/Jett/HD wasn't dominant. Maybe not 1989 caliber, but still dominant. You need a point guard who can get the ball into the half-court and another guy who knows how to dunk. But that just didn't work, and I wish I could understand why.
What does that say about Juwan? You have to ask that question.
He helped mold a top-50 recruit who had a 93 ORating as a freshman and had an assist rate of 4 and a TO rate 17 and who couldn't stay on the court against more physical players into a highly-efficient scorer and distributor and an above-average defender?
Jett was a true freshman who, despite some end-of-the-year struggles, was an elite offensive player but a pretty bad defender who probably would have benefitted from another year in college?
But no, the fact UM is likely to have 6 guys drafted in the 4 years Howard has been coached, including potentially 3 lottery picks, is dumb luck.
Jett and HD were defensive liabilities, yes, but again I don't understand why they didn't have an offensive juggernaut on their hands. The long scoreless droughts that plagued this team still don't make sense to me.
Meh.
If you have 2 lottery picks on your team, plus Hunter Dickenson as your starting center and don't even sniff the big dance...yeah thats 100% on coaching.
It's OK to be critical of your head coach...
I don't think it's dumb luck, but nor do I think their NBA prospects are solely due to Howard's coaching. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, where Howard gets credit for bringing them in and demerits for not winning with them.
Good for Bufkin. Sorry he's gone but glad for him.
I saw a mock draft on TheRinger a few weeks ago that had Kobe and Jett both going to the Jazz in the first round.
I think Utah has three first rounders this year. Maybe they can still be teammates!
I was hoping the Nets could trade their 2 first rounders to move up and draft him. The chance to get solid ball handler, play maker and scorer at the 2 would have been nice.
Jonathan Givony and Adam Schefter are the same person right?
That twitter freeze frame looks like the guy on the left just greased a stinky one and the others are reacting to it.