August is the slowest time of year for the NBA. Summer league is in the rearview mirror, training camp won’t open for almost two months, and international play is the only professional basketball taking place.
But there is still a lot to discuss before the Hawks take the floor for the 2023-24 season, namely the expectations of Atlanta’s top rookies, Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye.
Both players showed a lot of promise during the NBA summer league, along with several reasons why neither are projected to be rotation players in the near future. Summer League also breeds a lot of overreactions, whether high praise for positive plays or heavy criticism for mistakes.