Three Charlotte Hornets with the most to prove this season

James Bouknight

It was a tumultuous rookie season for James Bouknight to say the least. Last year’s 11th pick never solidified himself in the rotation, got into a verbal altercation during a game with former head coach James Borrego, and was even ejected from a game at UConn while watching his former team play.

After leading the Hornets in scoring during the 2021 Summer League slate, Bouknight played a total of 304 minutes at the NBA level, the fewest amongst 2021 lottery selections. His numbers were unspectacular, as he averaged just 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 1o minutes per night with an effective field goal percentage of 40.8%. To make matters worse, Bouknight was forced to miss Summer League due to a hand injury, causing him to miss out on a prime opportunity to further develop his game.

Now, with a new coaching staff in place, Bouknight needs to begin showing more consistent flashes of the player the Hornets believed they were selecting when they invested the 11th overall pick in him during the 2021 NBA draft. There were promising moments last season, such as his 24-point outing in a win over the Sacramento Kings. In fact, Bouknight scored in double figures in every game in which he played at least 20 minutes. However, such performances were few and far between.

Bouknight and new head coach Steve Clifford are already off on the right foot, as they reportedly had daily morning film sessions while Bouknight recovered from surgery on his hand earlier in the offseason.

The opportunity will be there for Bouknight to prove himself this season. Now it is up to the talented second-year guard to begin to show why he was rated as high as sixth on some NBA draft boards before the 2021 NBA draft.