No. 2. James Bouknight – Guard – 20
The first rookie taken by Charlotte this year, James Bouknight was thought of by many analysts to be one of, if not the best pure scorer in this year’s draft class. However, he still needs to iron out his game before he’s ready to average big-time numbers.
Bouknight is already a respectable scorer as he can get to the rim and finish above the basket, possesses a smooth jump shot, and already knows how to create for himself with moves like this sweet step back from the Summer League.
The key for Bouknight will be polishing his offensive game and unlocking his aggressiveness as a scorer. He has the potential to be a guy who can score 30 points a night if he can do this. With Bouknight being only 20 years old and already being aware of what areas of his game he needs to work on, this may not even be that big of an ask for him.
However, he will need more than just scoring to break into this elite group. Bouknight will likely need to improve his playmaking if he is ever going to be considered an elite player. Charlotte appears to be aware of this as he spent all of Summer League attempting to create for his summer teammates. This proved to be a challenge for him but he did show flashes of a promising passing ability.
If Bouknight can become a complete offensive player then it is not ridiculous to suggest that he could one day reach this list.