Charlotte Hornets: 3 players who impressed in preseason

Charlotte Hornets: James Bouknight impressed this preseason

When the Hornets drafted James Bouknight I was excited. He was a projected top-10 pick who fell just enough to fall in the Hornets’ lap.

In college, James Bouknight was a bucket-getter. He shot below 30% from three his last season at Uconn. However, that did not matter with how easily he got to the bucket. He finished the season shooting an effective 45%, despite his poor three-point shooting.

I was not expecting Bouknight to carry this into the NBA this early. I know it is just preseason, but watching Bouknight come in and make an immediate impact when he was on the court was fun to watch.

In his first game against Oklahoma City, Bouknight had 20 points on 58% shooting and filled the stat sheet, adding four rebounds, two assists and three steals. In this game, he looked more than ready to be a pro.

"“I want to see that continue to blossom,” head coach James Borrego said after the Thunder game. “I thought tonight he took a step forward. He played with great poise and confidence.”"

Throughout the rest of the preseason, Bouknight averaged 16 points, shooting efficiently in all the games, except against Dallas.

It will take a lot for Bouknight to continue his performance in the regular season, but so far he has proven he is ready to play at the NBA level.