NBA Future Watch: James Bouknight Basketball Cards, Charlotte Hornets – James Bouknight is a highly-athletic shooting guard, who has overcome adversity, both self-inflicted and not, to come out stronger on the other side and solidify his status as a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Bouknight honed his skills coming up through the competitive Northeast prep landscape en route to a productive two years at UConn.
By the time that Bouknight’s tenure at La Salle Academy in Manhattan was underway, he was already making a name for himself with his explosiveness. Bouknight’s play culminated in the New York Federation Class B Championship and tournament MVP honors. From there, a transfer to MacDuffie School in Massachusetts saw Bouknight’s scoring increase to 19.3 PPG before ending his season due to a torn meniscus. Bouknight did work his way back to produce in his final season and on the AAU circuit.
Bouknight’s career with the Huskies started with disappointment, as a reckless car accident led to a three-game suspension – but his commitment to learning from the episode quickly led to probation and a path to expungement from his record. On the court, Bouknight’s scoring opportunities were thinned out by a rotation with great shot parity, but he still managed 13.0 PPG, standing out with .822 FT%.
As a sophomore, notwithstanding Bouknight’s expanded scoring opportunities – which led to an increase to 18.7 PPG – he also improved his APG by 38% to 1.8. Additionally, 5.7 RPG established Bouknight as a rare rebounding threat in the backcourt. Named First Team All-Big East on the heels of the preseason John R. Wooden Award watch list, Bouknight’s rising stock led him to last summer’s draft, where he ended up with Charlotte via the 11th overall pick.
Bouknight’s spark plug presence – fueled by a tremendous ISO game – and strong upside as a secondary ball handler and rebounder should carve out decent minutes in a crowded Hornet backcourt. Ultimately, Bouknight’s success in expanding the accuracy of his outside shot and converting his athleticism and wingspan to lockdown defense will be key to unlocking his All-Star upside.
NBA Future Watch: James Bouknight Basketball Cards, Charlotte Hornets – College Stats
| Season | School | Conf | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | SOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | UConn | AAC | 28 | 16 | 25.9 | 4.6 | 9.9 | .462 | 3.7 | 7.3 | .502 | 0.9 | 2.6 | .347 | 3.0 | 3.6 | .822 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 13.0 | 5.34 | |
| 2020-21 | UConn | Big East | 15 | 14 | 31.7 | 6.5 | 14.6 | .447 | 5.1 | 9.6 | .528 | 1.5 | 5.0 | .293 | 4.2 | 5.4 | .778 | 1.5 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 18.7 | 8.59 | |
| Career | UConn | 43 | 30 | 27.9 | 5.3 | 11.5 | .456 | 4.2 | 8.1 | .513 | 1.1 | 3.4 | .320 | 3.4 | 4.2 | .802 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 15.0 | 6.97 |
NBA Future Watch: James Bouknight Basketball Cards, Charlotte Hornets – More Resources
- Secondary Market Pricing – James Bouknight
- NBA.com Player Profile – James Bouknight
- James Bouknight on Twitter
- Panini Chronicles Draft Picks
NBA Future Watch: James Bouknight Basketball Cards, Charlotte Hornets
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