The Lakers coach is thrilled to have Bufkin out of his impressive G League showing.
On behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, JJ Redick is more than compelled to give Kobe Bufkin a shot to prove himself.
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Ahead of their major clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, Redick explained the franchise's motives behind signing Bufkin for the remainder of the season.
"I mean, there are a lot of factors that go into that. The buyout market, I'll just be frank, because I did this, when I was working in media, it very, very rarely produces a player that impacts a team's playoff chances. It just very rarely does. The second part of that is you got to make sure the guys, if you're going to get a buyout player, you got to make sure that guy's healthy, that guy's ready to play," he told reporters (h/t Khobi Price of California Post).
"Kobe has certainly earned a spot in the NBA with the way he's played this year for us in South Bay. There's also factors of are we going to be able to keep him in our program? So there's a lot that went into it. We feel really happy that we got him on [the] roster."
It was announced Saturday that the Lakers are signing Bufkin to complete their 15-man roster via a two-year deal. The 206-27 campaign is a team option.
Bufkin initially joined LA on a 10-day deal and played three games for them. While he didn't secure another short-term gig, the 23-year-old eventually emerged as a key standout on the Lakers' G League affiliate.
In the South Bay Lakers, Bufkin put on a show and is averaging 24.7 points in 49.6 percent shooting (43.1 percent from three) with 4.4 boards and 3.6 assists in 31.7 minutes across seven games.
"I think the thing that [South Bay coach] Zach Guthrie has really challenged him on this year and he's gotten better on is just his defensive activity and engagement," Redick further said about Bufkin.
"I think he's got the positional size to be a plus defender and obviously his ability to shoot the ball consistently, particularly on our team, would provide great value."
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