A year after a misstep marred his UConn debut, James Bouknight is primed for next-level stardom
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“My 3-point shooting and ball-handling,” Bouknight says. “All summer, even during quarantine, I’ve been able to get into the gym, work on my follow-through and ball-handling drills.”
That’s a nod to the next level. “He thrives on taking the ball to the rack to score,” writes Alan Lu of NBAscoutinglive.com. “He also excels at scoring on off-ball motion plays. He will need to improve his jump shot and defense, but he is a solid offensive player who could be a first-round draft pick in 2021.”
NBAdraftroom.com, which currently projects Bouknight No. 22 in its 2021 mock draft, notes that he needed to add strength to his wiry frame. During the spring, UConn hired Mike Rehfeldt from Cincinnati as sports performance director and the Huskies began looking bigger as the weeks wore on. Bouknight says he’s gone from 172 pounds to 195, “with five percent body fat.”
As practices began in October, teammates were seeing a more complete player.
Alternate access
“My 3-point shooting and ball-handling,” Bouknight says. “All summer, even during quarantine, I’ve been able to get into the gym, work on my follow-through and ball-handling drills.”
That’s a nod to the next level. “He thrives on taking the ball to the rack to score,” writes Alan Lu of NBAscoutinglive.com. “He also excels at scoring on off-ball motion plays. He will need to improve his jump shot and defense, but he is a solid offensive player who could be a first-round draft pick in 2021.”
NBAdraftroom.com, which currently projects Bouknight No. 22 in its 2021 mock draft, notes that he needed to add strength to his wiry frame. During the spring, UConn hired Mike Rehfeldt from Cincinnati as sports performance director and the Huskies began looking bigger as the weeks wore on. Bouknight says he’s gone from 172 pounds to 195, “with five percent body fat.”
As practices began in October, teammates were seeing a more complete player.