No life in the NBA! He was regarded as a little Poole, but he only played 27 games and disappeared at the speed of light!

Although Yang Hansen's performance was pretty good in the summer league and preseason, entering the regular season, he has exposed a lot of problems. Recently, he has been DNPed by the Trail Blazers many times, and there is a high probability that he will be sent to the Development League. Young's roller coaster NBA journey has also broken the hearts of many fans.

As a player selected with the 16th overall pick in the first round, although his contract is guaranteed, if he cannot perform convincingly enough, Young's future in the NBA is still full of unknowns, and he may even be eliminated, just like our protagonist today - Kobe Bafkin. Bafkin entered the NBA in 2023 and was also the 15th pick in the first round, but now he has disappeared from the NBA. So why did he, who was once regarded as the next Jordan Poole, fall at the speed of light? Let’s find out below!

Jordan, who has his own story, went all the way to the NBA.

Before entering the NBA, Bafkin was an unknown player for most of his time. Compared with those talented players, his reputation was not that great. When he entered high school, he didn't have any outstanding performance before his senior year, but in his senior season, he ushered in a turning point.

This season, he averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. His shooting and three-point shooting percentages reached 55% and 38% respectively. His scoring ability is very outstanding, and he led his high school to a record of 20 wins and 2 losses. With his performance this season, he was directly elected as Mr. Basketball in Michigan, and was also selected as a four-star high school student, successfully entering the McDonald's High School All-Star Team. There is no doubt that these achievements can be achieved in just one year, and one can imagine the hard work behind Bafkin. This is Bufkin's first counterattack. In addition to the above-mentioned honors, he was also selected to the All-State First Team for two consecutive years and was nominated as the best player in the United States.

Faced with invitations from some prestigious NCAA schools, he did not accept them. Instead, he stayed in Michigan and became a freshman at the University of Michigan. However, his opportunities were very limited in his freshman season. He averaged only 10.6 minutes of playing time per game and only 3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. Fortunately, he did not give up. Instead, he focused more on defense when he came on the court. Therefore, in his sophomore season, he gained the team's trust and became one of the core players.

Of course, Bafkin did not disappoint the team. His average data per game soared to 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, helping the University of Michigan reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Elite-level mid-range shooting, excellent off-ball running and defensive switching abilities have also made his draft market rising. Bafkin completed his second counterattack in his sophomore season. Finally, he was spotted by the Hawks in the 2023 draft and entered the NBA with the 15th overall pick in the first round.

Injuries continue to plague him, and his role is gradually marginalized.

Those who were drafted after Bafkin that year included Keyante George, Jaime Huskers Jr., Brandin Podemski, Cam Whitmore and others. These players have now secured stable positions in the NBA. The Hawks selected Bafkin because, in addition to their scoring ability comparable to Jordan Poole, there was another thing that attracted them, that is his excellent defensive ability. Over the years, the Hawks have always built the team's system with Trae Young as the core.

But unfortunately, in addition to his strong offensive and organizational skills, Young's defense is indeed too poor, so they have been committed to looking for defenders with excellent defensive abilities. Dejounte Murray before and Dyson Daniels now are all such players. And Bafkin also has such defensive potential. But what is more helpless is that in his first season in the NBA, Bafkin suffered from injuries such as a thumb fracture and shoulder dislocation. He only played 17 games in total, averaging 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, which was of little help to the team.

At the same time, Bafkin has also exposed a lot of problems. His physical confrontation is very average, and he cannot adapt to the rhythm of the NBA. In the first season of his career, his shooting and three-point shooting percentages were only 37% and 22.5% respectively. As a defender, this is completely impossible to survive in the NBA. Fortunately, the Eagles were patient and willing to give him a chance to prove himself. However, in the 24-25 season, Bafkin still could not get over the shadow of injuries. He suffered a recurrence of shoulder injury in the preseason. He only played 10 games in the regular season and had to undergo surgery again.

And this season, his statistics are still only 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists, and there is no improvement in efficiency. Unable to adapt to the NBA and with constant injuries, the Hawks' patience was completely exhausted. Entering the offseason, Bafkin had no chance and was sent to the Nets by the team, bidding farewell to Atlanta.

Unable to eliminate the fate of layoffs, he disappeared from the NBA at the age of 22.

In fact, in the summer league this offseason, Bafkin's performance was remarkable, averaging 19.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1 steal and 0.8 blocks per game. However, his efficiency was too low, so this was the last time the Hawks gave him to prove himself, but unfortunately he failed to grasp it. After coming to the Nets, this place is no longer the strong Eastern Conference team it was during the days of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The team drafted five rookies in one fell swoop and began rebuilding with determination.

In the previous two seasons, Bafkin only played a total of 27 games. His fate in this team can be imagined. After playing only one preseason game, he was laid off.. You know, Bafkin is only 22 years old now, but he disappeared from the NBA at the speed of light. It has to be said that the NBA is so cruel and cannot seize opportunities. What is waiting for you is to leave.