Bouk 'Em, Danno: The James Bouknight Thread

[JMAC3]

I just think that Bouknight is very similar to Rozier and Monk. I would rather just invest to keep one of them longterm and add a more versatile player who will be tougher to acquire.

Monk can probably be signed at 7-8 million per year. Bouknight if he is picked at 11 will make 3.5 million.

[Soul Rebel]

I know others have said it, but I get serious LaVine vibes when watching his YT draft breakdowns. I was quite surprised about his ups and his ability to finish at 6'5". I think he and LaMelo would be a dynamic, nasty backcourt. It also makes a deadline trade of Rozier more likely too.

He's right there for me with Moody and Jones at 11.

[SWedd523]

I agree with Dean on Draft who says,

If you really want to break the NBA, you need to load up on elite well rounded role players. Isolation scorers provide diminishing returns and cap team level upside with too many of them

This is why in this draft I would rather have a versatile player like a Franz Wagner or Jalen Johnson, over a scorer like James Bouknight

You're putting the cart before the horse by bringing in a bunch of role players before you get the star scorer.

The team doesn't have a legit bucket getter. That's a very important first step. It's much easier (cheaper) to bring in role players than it is to bring in the guy who can put up 25-30 on any given night.

I just think that Bouknight is very similar to Rozier and Monk. I would rather just invest to keep one of them longterm and add a more versatile player who will be tougher to acquire.

Monk can probably be signed at 7-8 million per year. Bouknight if he is picked at 11 will make 3.5 million.

Melo and Rozier already play very well together. Now change Rozier for a bigger/longer/younger/cheaper version and tell me how that's an issue?

You just opened up another $20-25mil that can be thrown at a big man or spread amongst role players. I don't see how that's a problem.

[Snidely FC]

The problem is you don't know if Bouknight is going to be anywhere near as good as Rozier and if he is not scoring he gives you nothing. Chad Ford:

Ford: "Everything that I heard out of that workout in Chicago was he could not miss a shot. He was stroking it from everywhere on the floor. And I'm like, 'OK cool. He did that in a scripted workout with an agent.'

"[But] he shot 29 percent from three at UConn, his assist-to-turnover ratio was dramatically under water, he's a little bit undersized for his position and I don't know what he necessarily gives you defensively. So you have this guy who I think can be an elite scorer in the league because he is wired that way and he's a good athlete. So I get the appeal.

"But the analytics are a little bit discouraging [and] for teams who want multi-positional players -- he's not that. If he's a lights out shooter, then he should be a top-10 pick in this draft. But [he shot 29 percent from three].

"I think it's fair to have some skepticism."

[SWedd523]

Good thing Rozier is still under contract, giving them some time to test them out.

Bringing Bouknight (or even Moody) in lets them move on from Monk, roll the dice again on a young guard on a rookie deal, and see if Rozier needs to stick around longer.

Lots to like there

[JMAC3]

The thing I notice with Bouknight fans is they talk about him as if he is going to hit his ceiling and be an athletic lead scorer at the 2 position. However, they hardly ever mention his floor could be a chucker offensive player that brings nothing on the defensive side of the ball who is sparkplug off the bench.

You can argue he is worth the risk if he pans out, but I think he is far from a sure thing.

[KembaWalker]

I would love this pick just to make sure we don't lock in on Monk for a long term contract. this guy looks about as good as Monk right now except that Monk looked terrible athletically after some injuries+covid. I feel like he hasn't looked springy in a long time. And obviously he's been more than just a distraction off the court, stays hurt, etc

I like the idea of Monk so getting a Monk that is 19 and healthy and cheaper sounds like a good deal

[SWedd523]

The thing I notice with Bouknight fans is they talk about him as if he is going to hit his ceiling and be an athletic lead scorer at the 2 position. However, they hardly ever mention his floor could be a chucker offensive player that brings nothing on the defensive side of the ball who is sparkplug off the bench.

You can argue he is worth the risk if he pans out, but I think he is far from a sure thing.

Well, like, yeah. That game can be played with literally any prospect, and even more so with the guys out of the top 3-5. There's a reason why most of the prospects have ranges from like 7-20.

That seems like a weak excuse to not like a prospect.

[amcoolio]

I'm a fan. Count me in as one of the players I would be thrilled with at 11.

SWeed523 is right, we need an alpha dog scorer. Terry is good but he's not really an iso guy. LaMelo can possibly get there but having someone like Bouknight next to him takes pressure and a load off.

[JMAC3]

The thing I notice with Bouknight fans is they talk about him as if he is going to hit his ceiling and be an athletic lead scorer at the 2 position. However, they hardly ever mention his floor could be a chucker offensive player that brings nothing on the defensive side of the ball who is sparkplug off the bench.

You can argue he is worth the risk if he pans out, but I think he is far from a sure thing.

Well, like, yeah. That game can be played with literally any prospect, and even more so with the guys out of the top 3-5. There's a reason why most of the prospects have ranges from like 7-20.

That seems like a weak excuse to not like a prospect.

I just think his downsides haven't been talked about as much as other prospects is all I am saying.

Bouknight could be really good, but personally, I just don't see it with him. He lacks an elite skill to me, he is not as athletic as Lavine, hasn't shown to be an elite shooter, doesn't seem to bring much intensity to the defensive side of the ball. Not saying he is bad, but to me I would prefer a more versatile prospect at 11.

Just see a lot of ways he could fail in the league.

[JDR720]

After seeing him drain all those shots on the previous page, I'm surprised he is only a 29% 3pt shooter. He shot 34% his freshman season.

So...is he actually any better than Monk? An athletic but streaky shooter? He didn't even average 2 assists.

Seems like he has a specific role to meet (6th man type scorer) or he'll bust.

[luciano-davidwesley]

He's my least favourite of the flashy/athletic wing options in our range. I'd take him over Kispert or Wagner though

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

I mentioned Brian over on the draft thread, but here's what he had to say about Bouknight's weaknesses

As talented a shot creator as Bouknight is, he’s small enough to really suffer against larger defenders. He can get the edge fairly well, but it’s one of those players who absolutely needs everything to go right a lot to really be successful against elite athletes.

There’s no other word to use for his shooting other than “inconsistent,” but the talent as a shotmaker is there. Can get in his own head and refuse to take decent looks from three. A bucket hunter sometimes, to his own detriment.

Very average defender overall, despite some flashes of good instincts and a nose for rebounds. Will likely be a very positionally limited defender.

Mostly just a scorer, who requires the ball to be effective most of the time.

Is that really a guy you want paired with LaMelo?

Here's the Ringer on his minuses.

Playmaking instincts: He forces some passes that aren’t there and misses some open opportunities. And he too often kills his dribble.

Streaky spot-up shooter whose issues could be due to his mechanics. Has a relatively stiff shot out of stationary positions.

Inconsistent on-ball defender.

Suffered a torn meniscus as a junior in high school.

Again, not making me feel warm fuzzies.

[UNCNYC]

The weird thing about Bouknight is that he has many concernes and imo not much upside but the funny thing about him is that what brought up all those red flags is what he has proven already that has landed him his potential top 7 pick.

What you see/think/feel about his game is pretty much what you are gonna get. He put it all out there. There is nothing more to the imagination with him that is why I think he wont bust but wont be a star. He will be a CULT following contributing pro. To me he is a SAFER pick than just about anyone in our 11 pick range but the downside is he probably wont have much upside either...

It would surprise me more if Bouknight became a bust moreso that Moody but I wouldn't be surprised if Moody had a better career. Weird...

Bouknights talent kinda hurts him.

Dribble - He has that but not PG type dribble so you find yourself wondering why he doesn't have Iverson handles.

Shooting - He has that but then you find yourself wondering why he's not curry (although its understandable to question only shooting %29)

Defense - He is a decent defender but because he doesn't lock down he leaves that to be desired which is expected due to his athleticism.

Passing - he is a SG and has handles so we expect him to put up over 5 a game but he does find people in the flow of the game.

If we were to draft him and he were to stay healthy imo he would be a player that would end up about the level of Graham now for the team. Which wouldn't be bad at all for an #11 pick.

One thing Bouknight has tho more than any other player in that draft range is SWAG. That can lead to people viewing you as a better player than you are which helps with the "IT" factor of the team. Recruiting players, ticket and jersey sales etc... I guarantee if Bouknight is picked you will see far more of his Jersey than Monks.

A LaMelo and Bouknight backcourt will gardner faaar more fans than a

LaMelo and Monk backcourt. Monk has ZERO "it" factor.

[UNCNYC]

One more quick thing about Bouknight. He's like the nice car you want/pretty girl in that he is EXPECTED to do much and actually has but it hurts you/the girl/ the car... Whereas someone like a Moody etc... Is expected to be reliable and if they happen to exceed that its a plus. Bouknight is reliable, but many are probably just overvaluing him. But then again maybe not. We tend to breakdown greatness and uplift mediocrity. Not saying he's great, but the illusion is there.

[JMAC3]

Bouknight is like a grilled cheese, at first you're like there is no meat and you are sad. Then you realize he is underrated because he looks like a piece of dirty bread but tastes like your mom just made him.

He also is like a bowl of cereal, if you look at him too long he gets soggy, but if you hurry he is perfect.

Last one, he is like cloud. He can be anything you want him to be if you look at him too long.



Okay for real last one.. stay tuned.

[JMAC3]

Last one, he is like a Reese's peanut butter cup. There is no wrong way to eat/watch him.

[JMAC3]

Okay for real this guy is like a cream filled donut because you know it is going to be so good, but it just can't live up to the hype. You might as well get a plain glazed donut so you know what it is but also you could just get a cream filled.

Donuts are Doughnuts but Doughnuts aren't donuts.

Krispy Kreme Dreams over Dunkin Basketballs... right? right guys?

[KingCat]

Okay for real this guy is like a cream filled donut because you know it is going to be so good, but it just can't live up to the hype. You might as well get a plain glazed donut so you know what it is but also you could just get a cream filled.

Donuts are Doughnuts but Doughnuts aren't donuts.

Krispy Kreme Dreams over Dunkin Basketballs... right? right guys?

Ayyy logic like this led to the Hornets drafting Frank the Tank over Booker, and MKG over Beal. Nice!

[JMAC3]

I mentioned Wagner as a high chance of being off the board by the time we pick at 11, I would assume Bouknight is the other guy that is likely to be gone by we pick as well with rumors of Thunder, Warriors and Magic all being high on him.