Bouk 'Em, Danno: The James Bouknight Thread

Post #101 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:53 pm

What is Bouk's floor?

From what I have read and watched on YouTube he's not really a catch and shoot guy - he's more a "get me the ball and I can iso score" guy.

He's not a knock down 3pt shooter.

He doesn't seem like an instant plus defender.

So what is his floor? Is it as a slashing wing?

If he never becomes anything else is he like one of the Twins?

UNCNYC · Post #102 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:54 pm

Overall I rate this pick an A.

UNCNYC · Post #103 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:55 pm

BigSlam wrote:What is Bouk's floor?

From what I have read and watched on YouTube he's not really a catch and shoot guy - he's more a "get me the ball and I can iso score" guy.

He's not a knock down 3pt shooter.

He doesn't seem like an instant plus defender.

So what is his floor? Is it as a slashing wing?

If he never becomes anything else is he like one of the Twins?

He has an old school game. More of an iso player. He is a get me the ball and get out of the way type of player for the most part.

predators · Post #104 » by **predators** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:59 pm

fatlever wrote:feels like monk 2.0 ... hornets love catching that falling knife. not in love with this. another 1-dimensional undersized guard, with 6th man upside.

I might be doing Gold Medal level mental gymnastics, but Monk seemed like more of a catch/shoot at Kentucky with some highlight dunks in transition. Bouknight has a lot of off ball cuts and actual shot creation off the dribble in his highlights. He has some Dunks in traffic on his reel.

Then again I convinced myself that Frank was at least a 7 footer that could hit threes.

Post #105 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:59 pm

Likewise, what is his ceiling?

If he gets it all together and is able to start knocking down 3's, continue his iso scoring (love those hesi moves I have seen on YouTube), put up some big scores and be a legit secondary playmaker - how good could he be?

He seems to be really athletic and there is a smoothness to his game.

He seems have the same body type and game style as Zach Lavine. Is that a good comparison?

wilson115 · Post #106 » by **wilson115** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:03 pm

"We are surprised (he fell to 11)."

Begging the question....

Watch on YouTube

UNCNYC · Post #107 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:05 pm

His ceiling imo is that of a 6th man. But a contributing one. I never understood the zach lavine, Klay Thompson comparisons... He will not bust tho unless he ends up injured. He would not have been my pick here but overall he wasn't a bad pick here either. He missed a lot of shots after working his way back from injury. He also was zero in on and kind of carried uconn so that is another contributor to his low field goal percentage.

LofJ · Post #108 » by **LofJ** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:10 pm

Kupchak said he recieved more trade calls for this pick than any he has ever made before. He resisted and held firm, the organization must really like him.

UNCNYC · Post #109 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:17 pm

Bouknight imo will be a better pick than PJ, Monk, Zeller, Bizmack was... When you draft for the most part you want a contributing player. That is what he will be. He will not be a wasted pick. I am still a fan of his. He was not a bad pick just probably better on the board imo. He will end up better than a few drafted before him. There wont be MANY drafted after him that we will REGRET not taking

Post #110 » by **Diop** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:31 pm

Charlottes JR Ryder?

MPM · Post #111 » by **MPM** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:33 pm

NBADraft Instant Analysis on Bouknight (A):

"He's only been a pro for a few minutes, but Bouknight might already lead the Hornets in shot attempts. At his best, Bouknight is a flame-throwing one-on-one scorer who can put buckets on anybody. He utilizes a unique combination of raw athleticism and herky-jerky change-of-pace dribble-drive moves to get anywhere he wants on the floor. He can finish through contact and knock down foul shots at an 80+% percent clip. On the downside, his 3pt% is much lower than one would expect given his shooting stroke, and he plays with serious tunnel vision. He averaged only 1.5 assists in 43 career collegiate games, compared to 2.1 turnovers. If his playmaking doesn't improve, he might top out as a Jordan Clarkson-style Sixth Man of the Year type scorer. However, he projects as a much better defender than the typical scoring sparkplug (reported 7-foot wingspan and is active in passing lanes), so his ceiling is significantly higher. The Hornets likely did not expect to see Bouknight still on the board at No. 11, and he will step in on day one to contribute to an electrifying backcourt with LaMelo Ball. League Pass alert!"

UNCNYC · Post #112 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:37 pm

I think Bouknight is gonna make an awesome 6th man. No reason to be upset about this pick, more so will I end up liking this pick.

Post #113 » by **yosemiteben** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:40 pm

Couple quick thoughts after watching some scouting videos:

Saw the stat that he shot 21.7% off C&S jumpers. My god, that is awful when we have a ball movement oriented offense with Melo as the point of attack. That number has got to improve, he has to be able to hit C&S shots. In this regard, maybe those wide open jumpers he was hitting in workouts were actually meaningful - if he can hit open 3s at a high level that will be huge.

His head down play also has to change. He's going to have more space so his ability to get to the rim and convert will be huge, but in the clips I saw that number of times he completely ignored wide open teammates to take contested jumpers was scary. Hopefully he's open to coaching and can improve that part of his game.

With that said, I take comfort in how this staff played the role of Terry Rozier whisperer when it comes to shooting. Terry came to Charlotte as a very inefficient 2 PT% and poor 3PT% shooter and made major steps both seasons he was here. Bouknight's game looks super similar to Terry's, so hoping that they can help Bouknight improve. The season before Terry was drafted he shot 30.6% from three, and look what he's doing now.

UNCNYC · Post #114 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:43 pm

It was hard to get it right during this draft. So many picks available with the depth. Many wish we took Moody over Bouknight but we could have made more of a mistake with not taking Highland, or Ayo, or Springer, or Christopher. I think for the most part you want to pick a player you wont scratch your head on. Bouknight is that player if nothing more.

Post #115 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:53 pm

So overnight I kinda recalibrated how I am viewing Bouk's role on the team.

One of the reasons I was so high on a prospect like Kispert for us was because of him not needing the ball in his hands a lot (I want LaMelo with the ball as much as possible), his ability to know where to be, how to get there, how to get open and then how to catch/shoot/make his shots (especially from 3). I thought that fit SO well with what we need and how LaMelo could make him be awesome.

Initially I was really worried about Bouk's apparent lack of catch and shoot ability and poor 3pt shooting. He isn't known for the base things that I think we really need and is instead more an iso scorer Vs a shooter.

But as I laid in bed last night I started thinking about Bouk's role differently - and it helped.

I started thinking of him as a future Gordo replacement - but at the SG position instead of the SF position. A guy who can get his own buckets when we need buckets and everything else has dried up. A guy who can create something out of nothing when all the other plays in the set have broken down.

Then I started thinking about future drafts and targeting a SF (6'6"-6'8" and 210lbs-220lbs) who is a legit 3&D guy to play that role who can catch and shoot the snot out of the ball and do some work on the defensive end.

As I started thinking that way, Bouk as an answer to replacing Gordo's role in a year or two instead of Bouk not being the "Moody 3&D" guy I really wanted, I slept a lot better.

JMAC3 · Post #116 » by **JMAC3** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:01 pm

I was higher on Moody for the pick, but I understand why Charlotte took Bouknight. If everything pans out with him, he has all-star potential as a scorer. He can score off the dribble and should eventually be a guy who can run pick and roll and take some pressure off LaMelo. Love that we have continue to add guys who are threats with the ball in their hands and can put pressure on the rim (Ball, Terry, Hayward, Graham, Bouk and Miles showed some of this late last year too).

I think he projects as a 6th man type scorer early in his career, so this means Monk is gone 100%. If he works out and looks to be a star in the making early, we could flip Rozier at the deadline for a first-rounder to replace what we gave up for Kai Jones and more maybe.

Backcourt rotation of

LaMelo- Graham
Rozier- Bouknight

UNCNYC · Post #117 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:02 pm

There are always what ifs for the most part. Moody was ranked higher than Bouknight in many mocks and fell further than Bouknight did. I think there are other sg's who will probably turn out better than both of them...

Post #118 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:19 pm

Just realized: If Monk leaves and LaMelo gets his #1 jersey then Bouk can slide right into his #2 jersey!!

That's fun.

UNCNYC · Post #119 » by **UNCNYC** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:35 pm

BigSlam wrote:Just realized: If Monk leaves and LaMelo gets his #1 jersey then Bouk can slide right into his #2 jersey!!

That's fun.

Yeah I been thinking about how fun it is, and that Miles is number 0. I love the #1 and #2 backcourt. I think #2 bouknight Jersey is lit

Post #120 » by **BigSlam** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 2:58 pm

wilson115 wrote:"We are surprised (he fell to 11)."

Begging the question....

Watch on YouTube

He kinda looks like LaMelo when he drives. He uses his length and finger rolls really well - and with both hands.

Grade The Pick