James Bouknight’s outing against 76ers a snapshot of how good Hornets rookie can be
.JPG "Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight played well in his extended time on Monday night. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)")
Firmly gripped in his right hand and attached to his palm like it’s glued, James Bouknight peeks down at his iPhone seemingly every few seconds once it lights up and vibrates.
A call here. A text there. Even a group chat appears to pop in.
The Charlotte Hornets rookie was a popular guy Monday night among those in his contact list, a byproduct of him getting some more meaningful playing time. Ish Smith landing on the league’s health and safety protocols list less than two hours before tipoff meant Bouknight got pushed up the rotation. Smith’s absence, paired with no LaMelo Ball and no Terry Rozier for a second straight game, left the Hornets short on experience in the backcourt.
So Bouknight was thrust into the mix and had a few jaw-dropping moves in the Hornets’ 127-124 overtime loss to Philadelphia, pulling off a couple that had many of the 14,462 patrons in the Spectrum Center stands roaring on their feet with approval.
“I just knew that whatever time I was given, I need to take advantage of it,” Bouknight told The Observer. “Just being a rookie in the league, you have a short leash and you’ve just got to go out there and play. You’ve just got to play like it’s your last, and I went out there and that’s exactly what I did.”
Bouknight’s 11 points and five rebounds off the bench offered a glimpse of what he can ultimately be. His nasty, right-handed putback dunk and freakish athleticism also gave further insight into the salivating potential of the guy the Hornets selected No. 11 overall in the draft in July. Both totals were career bests, numbers that certainly can take gradual leaps with every nanosecond of experience he gathers.
He certainly provided an emotional boost for the Hornets (14-12), and his youthful exuberance was obvious from the very moment he got inserted. There appeared to be a little Speedy Gonzalez in him.
“Energy,” Kelly Oubre said. “He had the best energy out of all of us. He injected us with that as soon as he checked in the game. He had two offensive rebounds, got the crowd going and he was also able to find a flow. But that’s big time for us. He stepped up.”
This is new territory for Bouknight, so far serving strictly as a cheerleader and observer. It’s foreign to him. The word “bench warmer’’ hasn’t been attached to his name since, well, ever.
Adjusting to the waiting game and stay-ready mode brings challenges.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Bouknight said. “I’ve been through adversity, but this is just a different kind, you know? Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve always been playing. I’ve never struggled to get on the court. But here it’s really been a humbling experience, just knowing that I’ve got to work for everything I want and I’m going to have to go and take it.”
There is not much of a choice. Bouknight’s situation is a blessing of sorts for the Hornets. Usually, their first-round pick is thrust into the rotation during their initial season because the Hornets are thin at that particular position.
Roster depth is finally a strength now, and with the Hornets’ glut of guards and wing players, Bouknight is the odd man out. It’s not ideal, but he understands what’s happening with the bigger picture.
“No, that’s great,” Bouknight said. “We are a playoff team, man, and to get on the court with a playoff team you’ve got to go out and show what you can do. You’ve got to fight every night, just play hard and do what you are asked to do. You’ve got to know your role, understand your role. That’s a big thing my college coach used to tell me. ’Just know your role.’
To better help him understand the system and ensure he evolves at the rate they would prefer, Bouknight has shuffled between Charlotte and the Greensboro Swarm during the past few weeks. In five appearances with the Hornets’ G League affiliate, he averaged 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37.1 minutes.
Once he figured out that attempting to re-create an And-1 Mixtape while in Greensboro didn’t do him much justice, a light bulb went off.
“I think when I first got down to the ‘G’ I was just trying to score on everybody and show nobody can guard me down there,” Bouknight said. “And as the games went on I wanted to show that I can do more. I wanted to show I can spread the floor and defend for 48 minutes, that I can pass the ball. Just showing my versatility as a basketball player and not just going out there and try to score 30 a night, you know?”
That education continued against the 76ers, and class was in session on a few occasions for the 21-year-old. There were miscues and things he must better grasp on the fly, like knowing when to not close out on defense so hard that he fouls a 3-point shooter — something he did twice.
“I think that’s the best way of learning, just going out there and letting me make mistakes,” Bouknight said. “I think that was just a big step in the right direction. Both for me and JT (Thor), too. He went out there and he played his a-- off.”
Bouknight and Thor were trusted enough by coach James Borrego to be out there in the fourth quarter of a game that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties. Bouknight rewarded him with seven points in the quarter, including the nifty follow-up dunk off a missed Gordon Hayward 3-pointer that drew a deafening roar.
“It’s great confidence for him,” Borrego said. “More than anything we believe in him. Obviously the circumstances put him in this position right now, but he’s showing what he’s been doing behind the scenes. He’s been working, he’s getting better and there is a reason we drafted him.
“This is not a secret. We haven’t been hiding this guy. We drafted him at a high number because we believe in him. And it’s just about opportunity now. He’s made the most of his opportunity. Now he’s got to capitalize on it and get better. Very happy for him.”
Self-assurance for the native New Yorker never wavers. He’s good there.
“I don’t think I ever lost confidence,” Bouknight said. “People may have thought that. I don’t think I could ever be stripped of my confidence. I know what I’m capable of, I know what I can do. And I know the people drafted me know that I can do what I can do, you know? So when I went out there, I talked to J.B. before the game and he just told me to do my thing. He just told me to go out there and play hard, show competitiveness and have fun.”
Bouknight did just that and, in turn, has an audience looking forward to an encore.
This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
