LAS VEGAS -- The Hawks’ coaching staff asked a lot of the team’s young players in Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye during their Las Vegas Summer League debut. The two started Friday’s opener, an 80-76 loss to the Kings, but previewed what could be the beginning of a long-term partnership.
Early in the game, Bufkin drove into the paint before kicking out to Gueye in the corner for a wide open 3-pointer. Though the shot didn’t fall, it kicked off Bufkin’s night running the team’s offense. The 19-year-old guard had ups and downs in his first night wearing a Hawks jersey. He scored eight points and had four rebounds and three assists. He could have had several more, as a number of early looks to his teammates did not fall as the Hawks shot 16.7% from 3 in the first half. Bufkin also picked up five first-half fouls and had four turnovers as he adjusted to the speed of the game.
It’s all a part of the rookie adjustment period, and Hawks summer coach Antonio Lang had no worries that Bufkin would figure it out.
“He learns how to play,” Lang said. “It’s just like everyone else. That’s the reason why they give us 10 fouls. The game’s called differently. Kobe has been playing the 2, now he’s guarding 1s. We’re asking him to do a lot of things and he’ll be fine. It’s just everyone has that period where they have to adjust – first of all adjust to the players, the speed and also adjust the the way that the game is called.”
The rookie guard also vowed to come back better when the Hawks face the Nuggets on Sunday.
“Just the pace of the game, decision making,” Bufkin said. “I feel like we, myself included, especially had a lot of turnovers and careless mistakes. Our defensive rebounding, we could eliminate their offensive rebounding better.”
Like Bufkin, the Hawks gave Gueye plenty to think about in Friday’s game. The 20-year-old forward has played a lot of minutes as a center, but the Hawks shifted him to power forward as they look to utilize his skills on the wing.
Gueye showed plenty of flashes of his skills as a defender including a weakside block that led to a dunk attempt on the other end. The Hawks want Gueye to get more comfortable taking shots when opportunities come his way. Gueye ended the night 0-of-3 from distance but he passed up some other looks that could have given the Hawks some points from long range.
Gueye finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Senegalese forward loves that the Hawks have asked him to do more and he believes he can do all of it.
“I think I’m more than just a big man,” he said. “I’m able to do all that and just expanding my game. I think every time I work on it, I get better. So I like seeing myself getting better. I think that’s that’s the main reason why I love it.”
Second-year guard AJ Griffin started and had 12 points and nine rebounds. Brady Manek had a team-high 17 points and made 5 of 10 3-pointers.
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