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This is a surprising change of heart for me. Some have already brought up the idea here for this, and I was totally for drafting him at 8, but due to his meteoric rise during the predraft process, he is probably going to be gone before pick 8 rolls around. Which got me thinking, if he is going to be gone at 6 or 7, what makes him such a reach at 5?

How pissed would I be if OKC or GS drafted Bouknight ahead of us VERSUS how pissed would I be if OKC or GS drafted Barnes or Kuminga ahead of us? It came down to me being more pissed at missing out on Bouknight.

Here's why:

1) Scoring. Bouknight is a crafty scorer with excellent change of pace and flow to his game. His handle is smooth and tight which enable him to get anywhere on the floor that he wants to go. I have a belief that players who have good coordination as dribblers have a better chance at being good shooters because they have developed fine hand-eye motor skills, control and coordination. Bouknight is a scorer's scorer. He's a 3 level scorer who is comfortable with the ball in his hand in big moments and able to make difficult shots. Watching playoff basketball, you NEED these types of players. Guys who can hit a difficult 3 or drive to their go-to-spot up shots or craftily carve their way inside and MAKE SHOTS are like GOLD. Right now, the Magic have no young healthy player that we can reliably trust to score a basket for us. We have to revert to Bacon, T-Ross, Ennis. That is unacceptable.




2) Fit. My dreams were dashed on lottery day when we lost our chance to get Jalen Green. I tried to have hope that we would have enough to move up to get him, but that looks doubtful. Still, I want a SG. I want a guy who can get buckets.
Is Bouknight and his oozing NBA potential THAT far off of Green? ... mmm... ok ok... yes, I'm probably lying to myself a bit, but the chance could still be there! Many agree that the Magic already have a crowded group of guards, but when you take a deeper dive into it, the cream has still not risen to the top. Fultz (hurt), Anthony (chucker), Hampton (raw), Harris (expiring), Ross (trade fodder), MCW (bench vet). Bouknight (skilled) is a mature 20 year old who will be 21 during the season. He's been in the role as a lead scorer so he has the mentality and experience. His age fits with our young core in a way that he doesn't arrive "too young", but rather, right in line with our group. This softens the feel of "he's too young to help us now" concerns. This also fortifies our future backcourt in case of injury or bust. I would have a lot of hope and excitement for this young group. I think there is a lot of interchangeability among them.

Markelle Fultz / Cole Anthony
James Bouknight / RJ Hampton

3) Compared to other SGs.

Cameron Thomas - Stocky guard with a quick trigger, tunnel vision and lacks finesse. Zero interest for me.

Moses Moody - Everyone gushes at his long arms and potential on defense, but he doesn't project as a primary scorer. Weak handle, lack of fluidity, struggled badly in the tournament vs tougher competition. Low interest for me.

Keon Johnson - Love his explosive hops, but here's a classic case of "athlete that needs to learn the game". We already have that with RJ Hampton. Medium interest for me.

James Bouknight - Explosive, quick, shifty, fearless, can create his own shot. His knocks are on his 3PT efficiency and passing, but that is misleading due to his demanding role on his team, the number of double teams he faced and lack of support from teammates who were unable to deliver. Plus his 80% FT rate is a good indicator that his 3pt shooting will improve. High interest for me.

Bouknight as a sophomore was tops in the Big East in offensive rating (106.2) and usage rate (30.4). He also led the conference in number of double-teams faced. When he lit up Creighton for 40 points on 13-of-24 shooting, his teammates were 11-of-43 in a 76-74 loss.

https://youtu.be/qMnaffGI-N0

4) Fantastic workouts. Most of us have all seen the phenomenal shooting displays from the NBA combine and other workouts, but just in case some hasen't seen them... Here's one to enjoy. Yeah, it's a workout, but even among workouts, this one stands out. If it were a 3 pt contest, he would be able to put pressure on Curry... and there are more of these out there from different workouts. So no fluke.

From the moment Bouknight entered the gym, his presence could be felt. He exuded confidence, swagger, and toughness. The kid just looked like a star. Once a ball was put in Bouknight’s hands, I thought to myself, “This guy is a walking bucket.”

Witnessing his burst, athleticism, and killer instinct up close really blew me away. I was already so high on him, but I couldn’t help getting even more excited about his talent. Throughout the workout, Derek and I looked at each other several times and nodded approvingly.

They proceeded to do various drills, and Bouknight displayed his scoring ability, ball handling, and, most importantly (to me), his outside shooting. Although I don’t expect him to become a sniper from long range, I do believe he will be able to make shots at a more-than-acceptable rate, allowing him to become a dynamic scorer at the NBA level.

I found the workout to be run at a terrific pace, and Bouknight showed his competitiveness and work ethic. Once the workout concluded, we had the chance to speak with him and, I must say, I was impressed. Despite being a killer on the court, I found him to be polite, respectful, and charming. All indications are that he will be a pro’s pro.

Needless to say, the future is bright for James Bouknight.

https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training

Get Hyped!




BONUS - WHO WOULD I TAKE AT 8?

There aren't a lot of scoring SGs in our range so if the FO went with him, knowing they will also get 1 of Barnes/Kuminga/Wagnerlater, I'd understand the move. My question is the fit.

Bonus points for him being on the same AAU team with Cole & Mo.

I'm on board Skin, he's not perfect and his percentages show that but the difficulty of shots he was taking and the movement with and without the ball and how opponents would game plan for him, seeing defenses shift in his direction, the creativity with the ball is not even comparable to some of the other considerations at 5. His movement alone and how fluid he is makes me believe he can be the best scorer in this draft class. Other posters bring up valid and good points as to why they don't believe in him but I won't be convinced with what my eyes see, especially in comparison to other options. He could flame out but as a scorer his ceiling is way up there.

Count with me in this bandwagon. We desperately need scorers.
He can definitely get better on 3pt shooting, he has the talent. His mid range shoot is really smooth. There's nothing to think he can't work on his long range shooting and become reliable

I agree. I've been following the Magic since Shaq's years.

We need a scorer/shooter.

Take him at #5 and the best available at #8.

I hope our GM's dont screw this up. We don't need another "athlete"...aka Aaron Gordon.

My issue with him isn't his 3pt shooting. His FT%, as you mentioned, is an indicator that his shooting will be fine. What I am concerned with is him having Ross/Evan tunnel-vision on offense and being very one-dimensional. The video look great but we know he wasn't efficient so there is even more footage of him bricking the same type of shots. What I want to see are videos of him being doubled or pressed off of a pick and him making the right read.

thelead wrote:What I want to see are videos of him being doubled or pressed off of a pick and him making the right read.

They don't exist.

I kinda wish we could get Barnes, Kuminga, Bouknight and Moody all on the team. I see the case for Bouknight at 5, but the Magic are probably sold on Barnes. If barnes went in the top, They probably have Kuminga and Suggs ahead of Bouknight.

Knightro wrote:

thelead wrote:What I want to see are videos of him being doubled or pressed off of a pick and him making the right read.

They don't exist.

We both know that. That's why I asked for it to prove a point

I agree 100%. A lot of people will dive into the stats and faults in his game and his age. But the bottom line is he is one of the most advanced/explosive scorers in the draft and will probably be the best at our draft position.

We literally have been drafting projects for years, and never seem to look for a goto scorer at SF/SG. None of our players have grown into this role over the years, besides Vooch being a consistent threat. We have lost so many games from going into offensive luls that most teams have a goto scorer to get them out of. Not to mention, the excitement factor of having someone that can go off and take over a game.

Now most top tier teams are able to sign/trade these type of players, because they want to play for the given team. We simply just don't have that type of demand in the market, hence why we never get a #1 option on the market (closest we came to it in the last few years was Milsap, and he bailed on us)

So I am in favor of taking a chance on someone in the draft based on their offensive potential, and hope we can mold them Middleton, Booker, Beal/Mccolum type of player for us. Infact, I think we should draft him at #5, let OKC and GS take the project players and get Moody at #8.

People can say whatever they want about these guys, but they are all college players that have room for growth and unknown upside. It's time for us to truely search for a player we can just give the ball to create offense that can break down his defender and carry the offensive load for a few minutes at a time. I am not not excited about the prospect of drafting someone who might turn into the next Draymond Green.

captain reporting

wait... i read the thread title... #5??? heck no!!!! 8 maybe.

RookieStar wrote:wait... i read the thread title... #5??? heck no!!!! 8 maybe.

Are you really that more excited about Kuminga and Barnes? There is no way Bouknight is getting past GS in this draft, it's just not going to happen.

fateis007 wrote:

RookieStar wrote:wait... i read the thread title... #5??? heck no!!!! 8 maybe.

Are you really that more excited about Kuminga and Barnes? There is no way Bouknight is getting past GS in this draft, it's just not going to happen.

Excited no? Not blinded? yes... You have to remember Im practically the first in this board to have been tooting on this bouk horn..basically before we went full tank war. However Im.not a blind homer to think that Bouk has more star potential than a Kuminga or even maybe Barnes. Big Wings right now rule the league. We kinda forgot about that because being a splash bros or dame time shooting from the halfcourt is more flashy right now.

RookieStar wrote:

fateis007 wrote:

RookieStar wrote:wait... i read the thread title... #5??? heck no!!!! 8 maybe.

Are you really that more excited about Kuminga and Barnes? There is no way Bouknight is getting past GS in this draft, it's just not going to happen.

Excited no? Not blinded? yes... You have to remember Im practically the first in this board to have been tooting on this bouk horn..basically before we went full tank war. However Im.not a blind homer to think that Bouk has more star potential than a Kuminga or even maybe Barnes. Big Wings right now rule the league. We kinda forgot about that because being a splash bros or dame time shooting from the halfcourt is more flashy right now.

Barnes isn't really a wing, he is a point forward. But fair enough. My big issue with those guys and any prospect in the top 5 that of a draft, is their inability to shoot a high percentage from the free throw line. I consider Gianis to be of a once in a gen type of player, he can dominate and handle the ball as much as he does, and be a liability from the free throw line, because he is elite everywhere else. At the very least, if you can shoot free throws at a high clip, there is hope for you to bring that to your 3 point shot, which gives you the space to use those athletic abilities. Hoping Kuminga stops being a bad free throw shooter and a terrible 3 point shooter is a huge gamble IMO. If he had those things he would be like a bigger Jimmy Butler with less handles and probably on par with Cade for upside.

Right now Bouknight fell outside top 8 for me. Players who cant make reads and pass are too easy to stop in the nba. Bouknight is small for a wing, is average defender and streaky shooter.
Everybody writes about centers being played off the floor, but 6'3 wings who cant pass and defend are also played off the floor.
He is a good prospect but i wouldnt draft him top 10. Booker who is 10x better player showed in finals he has limited impact on winning becouse he is not a great passer and defender, and he is 6'5 with good vision for a wing. If you cant make high level reads you better be elite at catch and shoot and defending.

I dont believe that all young teams without a star end up like our former group, were young guys fight for shots, but Cole & Bouknight are exactly the kind of players were its highly likely this happens. Uneffective chuckers & ballstoppers, with tunnelvision, trying to prove they gonna be stars in the leaque, while the rest is ball watching. In case we draft Bouknight, we should trade Cole. I dont believe a young team can have 2 of those guys.

i see RJ as the bigger talent anyway & i dont want his playtime & usage cut for 2 lesser talents (in my opinion)

Bouknight just screams poor mans Lavine type of player for me. I'm not even a fan of the best case of that archetype & i highly doubt thats a positive impact player, no matter how much he scores. I can talk myself into him @8 & hope he suddenly shows hidden secondary playmaking skills & becomes more effective, but i prefer Sengün, Giddey, Moody, Wagner & Mann.

PS: What happened to your Keon love? @Skin Wasnt he in your top 3/4 just 1 or 2 months ago?

thelead wrote:My issue with him isn't his 3pt shooting. His FT%, as you mentioned, is an indicator that his shooting will be fine. What I am concerned with is him having Ross/Evan tunnel-vision on offense and being very one-dimensional. The video look great but we know he wasn't efficient so there is even more footage of him bricking the same type of shots. What I want to see are videos of him being doubled or pressed off of a pick and him making the right read.

He won't find himself in the same situation as he was in college where his teammates could not make a basket and defenses collapsed on him. The open spacing in the NBA is going to help him as well.

GelbeWand09 wrote:I dont believe that all young teams without a star end up like our former group, were young guys fight for shots, but Cole & Bouknight are exactly the kind of players were its highly likely this happens. Uneffective chuckers & ballstoppers, with tunnelvision, trying to prove they gonna be stars in the leaque, while the rest is ball watching. In case we draft Bouknight, we should trade Cole. I dont believe a young team can have 2 of those guys.

i see RJ as the bigger talent anyway & i dont want his playtime & usage cut for 2 lesser talents (in my opinion)

Bouknight just screams poor mans Lavine type of player for me. I'm not even a fan of the best case of that archetype & i highly doubt thats a positive impact player, no matter how much he scores. I can talk myself into him @8 & hope he suddenly shows hidden secondary playmaking skills & becomes more effective, but i prefer Sengün, Giddey, Moody, Wagner & Mann.

PS: What happened to your Keon love? @Skin Wasnt he in your top 3/4 just 1 or 2 months ago?

I fail to see the potential that Hampton can be lead guard and top scoring option on a team. His style of play is too herky jerky and he is not as finely skilled. Hampton has better vision, but he's an athlete first. He's like the guard version of Aaron Gordon.

Top 3 or 4 for Keon??? That's crazy talk. I had him in the Top 6. I did have him ahead of Bouknight. If he showed the kind of shooting display that Bouknight has been showing in these workouts, I would consider him in competition with Bouknight. But Keon is exactly the type of "athlete that needs to learn the game" type of player that I'm becoming less and less interested in.

zaymon wrote:Right now Bouknight fell outside top 8 for me. Players who cant make reads and pass are too easy to stop in the nba. Bouknight is small for a wing, is average defender and streaky shooter.
Everybody writes about centers being played off the floor, but 6'3 wings who cant pass and defend are also played off the floor.
He is a good prospect but i wouldnt draft him top 10. Booker who is 10x better player showed in finals he has limited impact on winning becouse he is not a great passer and defender, and he is 6'5 with good vision for a wing. If you cant make high level reads you better be elite at catch and shoot and defending.

People said Trae Young was too small. That Kevin Durant was too skinny. Size critics have to smarten up. Bouknight might be on the lighter side, but height wise he's fine for SG. Mosely will teach passing.