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Charlotte Hornets: Is James Bouknight A Bust After One Season?

By Trejan Rowbotham

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: James Bouknight #5 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during their game at Spectrum Center on October 13, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: James Bouknight #5 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Dallas Mavericks during their game at Spectrum Center on October 13, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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The Charlotte Hornets swung for the fences in the 2021 NBA Draft. Selecting James Bouknight with the 11th overall pick, the Swarm looked for a young backcourt partner to pair with LaMelo Ball, who was just coming off a Rookie of the Year season. With his first season nearly in the books – see what we did there – is it safe to call Bouknight a bust?

The short answer? No. While he has had a much more disappointing season than LaMelo’s rookie year, there are two main things that make their debut seasons incomparable.

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First, LaMelo was drafted to be the man, and Bouknight was drafted to be a man. Second, LaMelo was handed the keys to the kingdom, and Bouknight was never given an opportunity. Let’s explore these two points more.

By the time LaMelo was in high school, many expected him to be a top-tier NBA player at some point in his life. Bouknight never had that high of expectations. In his two seasons at UConn, Bouknight averaged 15 points per game over 43 contests. While his overall body of work is NBA-caliber, he was not expected to come into Charlotte and take the league by storm, which is what LaMelo did in his rookie season.

Next, Bouknight came into a situation that is extremely unfavorable from a playing time perspective. With LaMelo and Terry Rozier dominating the starting backcourt minutes and Cody Martin and newly-signed Kelly Oubre acquiring most of the backup guard minutes, Bouknight never stood a chance in the rotation.

While it may be unfair to compare Ball’s and Bouknight’s debut seasons, comparing back-to-back rookie guards is a logical thing to do. For now, fans will just have to accept that the Hornets didn’t strike gold twice in as many seasons.

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Thankfully for Bouknight, this is only his rookie season. There is plenty of time to develop over the summer and make a rotational impact in 2023. If that development is not achieved, the Hornets can opt out of the final two years on his contract, which is seeming like a possibility after the not-so-great rookie campaign. Either way, there is still plenty of time for Bouknight to make his mark in Charlotte.

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