Ranking and projecting the top 24 NBA Draft prospects with a 5-tier system
By Ryan McCrary
17. Kobe Bufkin, Guard, Michigan
Kobe Bufkin is a very good combo guard with an impressive skillset on offense. He is a good scorer who can attack opponents with mid-range jumpers and is an elite rim finisher, especially considering his size. He’s also a solid passer, and his decision-making with the ball in his hands is really good for someone his age.
He even has a little bit of defensive upside. He was extremely disruptive on that end of the floor at Michigan, racking up steals and blocks at a high rate, and his defensive impact metrics were very strong.
It’s hard to rank Bufkin much higher than this for a few reasons. First, he has an extremely small frame at 175 lbs. and this could cause him some problems as a defender and rim finisher. He’s also not an amazing three-point shooter, which is unfortunate, considering shooting is extremely important for small, non-athletic guards.
18. Brice Sensabaugh, Wing, Ohio State
Brice Sensabaugh had a tremendous freshman season at Ohio State in which he was a prolific mid-range scorer and long-distance shooter. He is legitimately one of the best scorers and shooters in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he’d be one of the best scorers and shooters in most drafts. Simply put, Sensabaugh is a bucket and a marksman.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t provide much value outside of his scoring and shooting. While his strengths are highly valuable, his ceiling is capped because he isn’t a great decision-maker as a passer, and he isn’t a strong defender. Perhaps this won’t matter that much, and he can still generate tons of value as a bucket-getter. However, I worry that his weaknesses will make him a less valuable player at the next level.