Bouknight Scrimmage Highlights

[Kenny11]

He certainly has maturity issues, but a team led by Lamelo Ball and Miles Bridges isn't a team where immaturity is a dealbreaker..

Hopefully he's working hard this summer and will find a role on the team next year. He's too good a talent to not play. Having a new coach helps if he wisens up and makes the right first impression.

Only his second year in the league but this is a make or break year for him to either be an important part of a team or a deep bench journeyman. Hopefully he understands that the partying should be finished for a while. He has more than enough talent.

 

[Chief00]

Only his second year in the league but this is a make or break year for him to either be an important part of a team or a deep bench journeyman. Hopefully he understands that the partying should be finished for a while. He has more than enough talent.

Agree, James has the talent. He has an opportunity to make a new, fresh impression on a new coach. Let’s hope he gives it the focus, dedication and consistent wisdom that is needed to make things work. There is a wave of new talent coming into The League every year, it is important for a young player trying to make it to have the reputation as being coachable and not a distraction to the goals the team is attempting to accomplish.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Constructive criticism is fine, but I’ve been in plenty of practices where coach yells “clear out - James & Scottie” for example, and the 2 players go at it.
I’ll nev r understand the negativity some people throw at Bouk, like he effed your GF or something.

 

[Palatine]

We'd all like to watch him flourish. But part of flourishing as an NBA guard is developing skill at passing the ball. A quality shot won't be there every time the ball touches your hand, and the other players on an NBA team are pretty good.

We don't know what plays were edited out to make this video - maybe his passes were deleted. But if he never passed the ball during the scrimmage, we're watching a talented player on his way to failing out of the NBA.

He didn't miss any shots in the video. If he never misses any shots he will become the greatest player in NBA history.

 

[Huskybass]

Constructive criticism is fine, but I’ve been in plenty of practices where coach yells “clear out - James & Scottie” for example, and the 2 players go at it.
I’ll nev r understand the negativity some people throw at Bouk, like he effed your GF or something.

You won't find a bigger Bouk fan than me. The first time I saw him on a high school court I was amazed by his natural scoring ability. However, the reality of the matter is that Bouk hasn't gotten the most out of his immense talent. Part of that was a whackjob for a coach last season, but part of it's on Bouk as well. His decision making has not benefited him in several instances.

I see a kid with all star talent struggling to make his mark. There's obviously a disconnect somewhere and I hope that it was only a maturity issue that he has now been able to overcome. Time will tell.

 

[REB1094]

You won't find a bigger Bouk fan than me. The first time I saw him on a high school court I was amazed by his natural scoring ability. However, the reality of the matter is that Bouk hasn't gotten the most out of his immense talent. Part of that was a whackjob for a coach last season, but part of it's on Bouk as well. His decision making has not benefited him in several instances.

I see a kid with all star talent struggling to make his mark. There's obviously a disconnect somewhere and I hope that it was only a maturity issue that he has now been able to overcome. Time will tell.

Meh. In games he played over 20 minutes a game, he averaged 15pts / 4.5 rebounds a game on 42% shooting. Averaged over 20 a game in the G League, with 6 rebounds and 5 assists (Although high turnovers - 4.3). Played well in the summer league and preseason before last season as well.

He's a volume scorer that doesn't do much else. That wasn't a surprise going into the draft, but he was a consensus lottery pick because he scores better than most rookies did. Doesn't make sense for the Hornets to use their lottery pick on a volume scorer, then have him ride the bench because he isn't a good defender or passer. When he got the volume, he put up the buckets that they picked him to put up. The Hornets were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year, so it's not like there was a strict defensive standard that Bouknight wasn't meeting.

I'm pretty sure it was just a maturity/relationship issue with Borrego that got JB in the doghouse early. Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas were getting minutes over him. There's no world where that is because of on-court production and not a personal issue.

 

[SportsFan88]

It’s a scrimmage and y’all are up here bashing the kid about PASSING the ball, what’s y’all problem with bouk?

 

[Chief00]

There are a whole lot of immature d-bags earning starting spots in the league. Bouknight's character has nothin to do with it folks.

I don’t think that “character” is the right terminology for the problem. James maturity issues and decision making have practically everything to do with it. Maturity also means self discipline and making the right choices off the court especially when the wrong decisions may interfere with on the court.

 

[Huskybass]

I don’t think that “character” is the right terminology for the problem. James maturity issues and decision making have practically everything to do with it. Maturity also means self discipline and making the right choices off the court especially when the wrong decisions may interfere with on the court.

I see a kid who has the ability to absolutely take over games not having that happen. Clearly it's not anything physical or talent or ability wise, it's the mindset and approach that is holding him back. People can try to diminish what happened at Gampel last year and personally I like the fact that he joined the student section, however, from an image standpoint it didn't help him at all, especially given the other couple of incidents he has been involved in.

The best thing that could happen would be for Bouk to have a mentor like Ray Allen who was all business and took care of business. James needs someone to show him how he should conduct himself if he ever wants to reach his immense potential.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

It’s a scrimmage and y’all are up here bashing the kid about PASSING the ball, what’s y’all problem with bouk?

Honestly I think it’s Andre Drummond kind of problem. Bouk is obviously talented but because we never won anything of substance while he was in Storrs a portion of “fans” don’t consider him a true Husky.

It’s absolutely ridiculous.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I hate these threads. I don't think any UConn fan is rooting against James. We all want him to be terrific in the NBA and have a long career. It was just ironic that the posted clip simultaneously highlights his high skill level and his biggest deficiency at the same time. Move the damned ball. He was terrific moving and curling off the ball at times at UConn. He needs a little more Rip Hamilton in his game. Higher caliber teammates will find him.

I'm a Celtics fan and I sure as hell yelled at Jason Tatum through the TV three years ago when he pulled the same one on five crap against the Heat, while his teammates stood around open for shots. There's no "hate" in that, it's simply an observation. The same one I guarantee Brad Stevens had (and then some).

 

[mauconnfan]

I hate these threads. I don't think any UConn fan is rooting against James. We all want him to be terrific in the NBA and have a long career. It was just ironic that the posted clip simultaneously highlights his high skill level and his biggest deficiency at the same time. Move the damned ball. He was terrific moving and curling off the ball at times at UConn. He needs a little more Rip Hamilton in his game. Higher caliber teammates will find him.

I'm a Celtics fan and I sure as hell yelled at Jason Tatum through the TV three years ago when he pulled the same one on five crap against the Heat, while his teammates stood around open for shots. There's no "hate" in that, it's simply an observation. The same one I guarantee Brad Stevens had (and then some).

^^^^ This well stated HH ^^^^

 

[Viet Vet]

or a pass?

or a defensive stop?

 

[CL82]

Honestly I think it’s Andre Drummond kind of problem. Bouk is obviously talented but because we never won anything of substance while he was in Storrs a portion of “fans” don’t consider him a true Husky.

It’s absolutely ridiculous.

 

[UC4L]

We'd all like to watch him flourish. But part of flourishing as an NBA guard is developing skill at passing the ball. A quality shot won't be there every time the ball touches your hand, and the other players on an NBA team are pretty good.

We don't know what plays were edited out to make this video - maybe his passes were deleted. But if he never passed the ball during the scrimmage, we're watching a talented player on his way to failing out of the NBA.

We'd all like to watch him flourish. But part of flourishing as an NBA guard is developing skill at passing the ball. A quality shot won't be there every time the ball touches your hand, and the other players on an NBA team are pretty good.

We don't know what plays were edited out to make this video - maybe his passes were deleted. But if he never passed the ball during the scrimmage, we're watching a talented player on his way to failing out of the NBA.

When has bouknight ever proven to be a player who doesn’t pass the ball? You analyze hoops like you played Freshman team as senior in HS.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Didn't want a new thread for this. A redraft of the 2021 draft class.

Others

James Bouknight, Charlotte Hornets | Original Selection: No. 11: It’s tough to have a more disastrous season than what Bouknight had in his first year. He played just 300 minutes as a lottery pick and didn’t look particularly good in those minutes, then had a sideline incident with head coach James Borrego. He also was ejected from a Connecticut game he attended as a fan. I’d still have him somewhere in the top 30 from an upside perspective, but it’s clear he needs to lock in more than he did this season.

Re-drafting the NBA’s 2021 class: Is Cade Cunningham still No. 1? Where does Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes land?

Here is a re-draft of a talented 2021 NBA Draft class, a long-term asset ranking more than an actual rookie ranking, by Sam Vecenie.

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