The Los Angeles Lakers have been searching for an ideal path to depth in the backcourt throughout the 2025-26 season. Austin Reaves and Gabe Vincent have battled respective injuries, and neither Bronny James nor Nick Smith have secured a steady spot in the rotation.
With the need for depth persisting, the Lakers are turning to 2025 Summer League standout and 2025-26 G League star Kobe Bufkin in a swing for the fences.
Bufkin was the No. 15 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, but has struggled to remain in the Association in the three years since. He showed out at Summer League in what was seemingly a statement run, and has been thriving with the South Bay Lakers in the G League.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have signed Bufkin to a 10-day contract that will test how his game translates to the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers are signing guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract, sources tell ESPN. Bufkin has starred for the Lakers' South Bay NBA G League affiliate and spent some time with the Grizzlies this season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2026
It's a golden opportunity for Bufkin to finally create stability for himself on a team that desperately needs its own sense of security in the backcourt.
Lakers sign G League star Kobe Bufkin to 10-day contract
Bufkin is a 6'4" and 195-pound guard with youth on his side at 22 years of age. Unfortunately, the first two seasons of his career were plagued by injuries and inconsistent opportunities to see the court. That experience ultimately led to the Atlanta Hawks opting to move on ahead of the 2025-26 regular season.
Bufkin is now playing for the South Bay Lakers, with whom he's begun to put the pieces together—or, more accurately, with whom he's obliterated the competition.
In 14 games between the Tip-Off Tournament and the G League regular season, Bufkin has compiled averages of 26.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 3.2 three-point field goals made. He's done so while shooting the lights out at a clip of .519/.409/.902.
If Bufkin can even begin to translate his success as a scorer, off-ball shooter, playmaker, and defender to the NBA, then the Lakers could have a dynamic reserve on their hands.
As a former first-round draft pick who's younger than some rookies, Bufkin's untapped potential remains captivating. It's unclear if he'll ever live up to the hype of a player drafted just outside the lottery, but his performances in the G League offer ample reason for intrigue.
With Bufkin, James, Smith, and Vincent, perhaps the Lakers can finally craft the rotation of guards they need to right the ship during a difficult month.