Where Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin go in latest NBA mock draft
On Wednesday, ESPN put out an updated 2023 NBA mock draft ($). Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo waited for the combine to finish and pro days to be done to see how they would impact the NBA draft.
If you were curious to see where Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard may go on June 22, according to ESPN, both are on the outside looking in at being lottery picks.
The first Michigan player off the board in this specific mock was Kobe Bufkin at No. 16 to the Utah Jazz.
Bufkin looks to be well-established in this range of the draft, having set himself apart somewhat as a two-way contributor who can fulfill a range of needs in the backcourt. He measured well for a combo guard at north of 6-foot-4 barefoot, which helps him comparatively in this range, where his well-roundedness becomes a strong sell. Bufkin is in play for teams beginning in the late lottery and at this point would seem firmly entrenched in the top 20.
This appears to be a popular spot for Bufkin according to draft experts. I’ve seen him land with the Jazz in multiple mock drafts, even weeks ago. Bufkin was one of the most improved players in all of college last season. He became the go-to guy in the Wolverines’ offense. During his sophomore campaign, he averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and shot 35.5% from behind the arc.
Jett Howard isn’t too far behind Bufkin. They have him going No. 18 — to his father’s former team — the Miami Heat.
Howard is a bit of a polarizing prospect in this class, as he seems to have some real fans in NBA front offices, but also some teams weren’t impressed at all with what they saw from him in Big Ten play as he was playing hurt. The way Howard shot the ball at the CAA pro day served as a good reminder for teams of the coveted role he can play, as there’s clearly more to his game than just his jumper. He’ll have to continue to perform well on the private workout circuit to solidify his standing.
This pick would make sense with the Heat having a ton of familiarity with the Howard family. Juwan Howard coached Miami as an assistant coach for multiple seasons and the Heat brass know exactly what they would be getting out of the youngest Howard. In his lone season in Ann Arbor, Howard averaged 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, two assists, and shot 36.8% from 3.
