Garbage take. (Though I probably would still take Cam Whitmore, Bufkin was not a reach at #15 and I do not believe the coaching staff regrets their choice.)
Bleacher ReportEvery NBA Team's Biggest Regret This Season
Atlanta Hawks: Kobe Bufkin at No. 15
Nothing the Atlanta Hawks did this season will leave them wanting a do-over more than the Dejounte Murray deal they swung in 2022, but another crack at the No. 15 pick would be nice.
Kobe Bufkin played 17 games and totaled 81 points in his rookie season, and that's with Atlanta losing guard Trae Young late in the year, which theoretically should have opened up backcourt minutes. Still only 20, the Michigan product has ample time to justify his draft slot. But considering who came off the board immediately after Bufkin, it's going to take a pretty significant boost in performance to make the Hawks feel better.
Keyonte George (No. 16) looks like the point guard of the future for the Utah Jazz, Jaime Jaquez Jr. (No. 18) was probably third in unofficial Rookie of the Year polls through the first half of the season, Brandin Podziemski (No. 19) is likely to be an All-Rookie first-teamer and Cam Whitmore (No. 20) has shown enough flashes of scoring punch and athleticism to validate many draft boards that had him in the top five.
The draft is rarely easy, but the Hawks made it look harder than necessary by reaching for Bufkin and passing on prospects that had higher ceilings and floors.
