Thunder: Five things to know about NBA Draft prospect James Bouknight

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Thunder: Five things to know about NBA Draft prospect James Bouknight

Sat, 07/10/2021 - 02:00
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Jul. 9—The Thunder has a coach from UConn in Mark Daigneault, a new point guard from UConn in Kemba Walker, and it could add another Husky on draft night in fast-rising prospect James Bouknight.

If the Thunder is targeting a pure scorer at No. 6, Bouknight might be the pick.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 18.7 points per game in his sophomore season at UConn. He was named to the All-Big East first team despite playing in only 15 games last season due to an elbow injury.

Bouknight (pronounced Book-nite) shot 45% overall and 29% from 3-point range. He added 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Bouknight scored 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting in UConn’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland.

The 20-year-old declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.

Here are four other things to know about Bouknight:

Like Walker, Bouknight grew up in New York City — Walker in the Bronx and Bouknight in Brooklyn.

Bouknight attended La Salle Academy in Manhattan for his first two years of high school before transferring to The MacDuffie School in Granby, Massachusetts, for his final two years.

Bouknight was the 66th-ranked prospect in the 2019 class, according to the 247Sports composite.

He was a teammate of Magic guard Cole Anthony on the AAU circuit.

Bouknight suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in January of his senior year, but UConn coach Dan Hurley didn’t stop recruiting him.

Bouknight committed to the Huskies on his 18th birthday.

Just like Keon Johnson, who we profiled Thursday, Bouknight preferred baseball over basketball as a kid. He didn’t start playing organized basketball until high school.

Bouknight told the New York Post that Yankee greats Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano were his idols growing up.

Bouknight measured 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, which were seen as solid numbers since he projects to play off the ball.

Bouknight then impressed at his combine pro day workout, as noted by ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony.

Givony wrote that Bouknight “put on an absolutely incredible shooting display” at his pro day. “Shot the cover off the ball, showing phenomenal footwork, touch and body control.”

Bouknight could be the bucket-getter the Thunder is missing next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

At worst, Bouknight projects to be a sixth man who provides instant offense off the bench.

Bouknight has to improve his range, but many project him to be a better 3-point shooter in the NBA than he was in college. He shot 35% as a freshman before dipping to 29% as a sophomore.

When he’s on, Bouknight is comfortable dribbling into 3-pointers and creating space with step-back threes.

He’s most dangerous when he drives. He explodes to the rim but is smooth and controlled when finishing.

Bouknight hasn’t shown the ability to create for others, which is why he’s better suited to play shooting guard than point guard. He averaged just 1.5 assists per game in college and had 63 career assists with 92 turnovers.