CHICAGO — Jett Howard only needed a split second to come up with a player comparison for himself.
“D Book, 100%,” he said at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, referring to Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. A reporter reminded him that Booker was born and raised in Grand Rapids.
“He’s from Grand Rapids?” Howard said. “That’s why Kobe likes him so much.”
The “Kobe” Howard referenced is his former Michigan basketball teammate, Kobe Bufkin, a Grand Rapids native who was seated roughly 20 feet away holding his own media scrum during the NBA scouting combine.
Both Howard and Bufkin are projected to be first-round picks in next month’s draft. And the Wolverines are grateful to be starting their NBA journey together. They have a chance to become Michigan’s first first-round duo since Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary were drafted eighth and 21st, respectively, in 2014.
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“Me and Jett have conversations about it, obviously both going through it,” Bufkin said. “This is a dream that we always had as children. It’s good to be able to have those conversations.”
Howard is following in his father’s footsteps. Juwan Howard, Michigan’s head coach and a former Fab Five standout, played in the NBA for 19 seasons and was previously an assistant coach for the Miami Heat for six seasons. So Jett, who is expected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick, knows what to expect as he navigates the next five weeks.
He has seen familiar faces during the combine in Chicago. In an elevator, he ran into Utah Jazz assistant general manager David Fizdale — an assistant coach for the Heat from 2008-16.
“He just reminded me, I used to be in his office playing on the little hoop all day, and he was just like, ‘yo, this is wild. Now I get to interview you,’ ” Jett said. “It’s a crazy experience.”
Howard’s Booker comparison likely comes from the fact that his most NBA-ready skill is his ability to shoot. In his lone season at Michigan, Howard averaged 14.2 points and knocked down 36.8% of his 3-pointers. He’s familiar with how NBA offenses operate, thanks to his father, and is skilled coming off screens.
He has been training with former Michigan big man DJ Wilson, currently with the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate, in Los Angeles. And he has also been getting advice from his father.
“He’s given me a lot of advice,” Howard said. “It’s more like stuff related to work ethic and how to be a good professional. I would say more of that type of stuff.”
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Bufkin’s draft range is slightly higher, as many draft pundits believe he could be a late lottery pick. His draft stock rose following a strong sophomore season, during which he averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
The 6-foot-4 guard is seen as a safe prospect because he’s good at just about everything. He shot 48.2% overall and 35.5% from 3 and is one of the best defensive guards in the draft. He’s a skilled passer, and a young sophomore who won’t turn 20 until September.
“It’s good to see the draft stock go up,” he said. “I try not to pay too much attention to it, but obviously you get wind of it. It’s a business at the end of the day. It’s definitely good to see it go up and for my name to even be in these types of conversations is a privilege for sure.”
Bufkin said he gets a lot of comparisons to Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, a fellow lefty.
But it’s easier to predict the player he tries to model his game after.
“A player I look up to is Devin Booker,” Bufkin said. “I watch a lot of films on him.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball’s Kobe Bufkin, Jett Howard excited for NBA