- Joined
- Jul 16, 2022
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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.