James Bouknight

Draft Notes

James Bouknight is a long wiry athlete with springy legs and good basketball instincts who is a possible lottery pick in 2021. He’s one of the best off the dribble and pull-up jump shooters in the draft class.

He’s got a nose for crashing the offensive glass, where he puts his leaping ability to good use, rising over taller players to secure the rebound or finish with authority.

He’s got a nice shooting stroke and good touch from the line, from mid range and from 3pt land. As a freshman he shot over 82% from FT and nearly 35% from 3, and has NBA range on his jumper.

James does a good job of moving without the ball and is very active on the offensive end. He works hard to get open and does a good job of using screens.

He’s got good handles and a quick firs step and shows the ability to create offensive for himself. He can get by most defenders and get into the lane. He’s wired to score.

James isn’t the most gifted passer at this point and needs to keep his eyes up and do a better job of driving and kicking but he’s got all the skills to make it happen, as he gains experience.

Bouknight is still very thin and needs to add a lot of strength.

Comparisons

• Derek Anderson

Draft Projection

late lottery to mid first round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft

2021 Shooting Guards

1. Jalen Green – 6-5 – G League Ingite
2. Moses Moody – 6-6 – Arkansas
3. Keon Johnson – 6-5 – Tennessee 
4. James Bouknight – 6-4 – UConn
5. Jaden Springer – 6-4 – Tennessee
6. Cam Thomas – 6-3 – LSU
7. Chris Duarte – 6-6 – Oregon
8. Mojave King – 6-5 – Australia
9. Taevion Kinsey – 6-5 – Marshall
10. Josh Christopher – 6-5 – Arizona State
11. RJ Nembhard – 6-5 – TCU
12. David Duke – 6-5 – Providence
13. Terrance Clarke – 6-6 – Kentucky
14. Allen Flanigan 6-6 – Auburn
15. Brandon Boston Jr. – 6-7 – Kentucky 
16. Paul Scruggs – 6-4 – Xavier
17. Alan Griffin – 6-5 – Syracuse
18. Ron Harper Jr. – 6-6 – Rutgers
19. Juhann Begarin – 6-4 – France
20. M.J. Walker – 6-5 – Florida State
21. Justin Moore – 6-4 – Villanova
22. Scottie Lewis – 6-5 – Florida
23. Quentin Grimes – 6-5 – Houston
24. Marcus Zegarowski – 6-2 – Creighton
25. Malcolm Cazalon – 6-6 – France 
26. Aaron Wiggins – 6-6 – Maryland
27. Ochai Agbaji – 6-5 – Kansas 
28. John Petty – 6-6 – Alabama
29. A.J. Lawson – 6-6 – South Carolina 
30. Nahziah Carter – 6-6 – NA
31. Kyree Walker – 6-4 – Phoenix, AZ