Hornets’ James Bouknight, Kai Jones eager for a chance. Will they get it this season?
Take a glance at James Bouknight’s lower right leg and something different jumps out, partially because it’s really hard to miss when he’s in shorts.
A vividly-detailed portrait of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur is tattooed on the side of Bouknight’s calf, representing the centerpiece of fresh artwork the Charlotte Hornets second-year guard began assembling over the summer. It took 42 hours spread over five days to complete and was a grueling undertaking in which he happily participated to create his own personal canvas.
“The whole theme of the leg is about the industry of athletes and music and the way they coexist,” Bouknight said. “That’s the whole theme of the leg. It’s not done yet.”
Bouknight’s latest work of expressive craftsmanship is somewhat representative of a new beginning for him after a difficult rookie season, which included the public sideline spat he had with former coach James Borrego. Like draft-class teammates Kai Jones and JT Thor, Bouknight is hopeful of having a larger role this season.
And that’s certainly a possibility given the roster is largely intact from 2021-22, save for Miles Bridges, whose NBA status is still unclear due to the domestic violence charges he’s facing in Los Angeles. The main job for Bouknight and the others in the Hornets’ sophomore season trio is to be ready when coach Steve Clifford summons them off the bench and inserts them into the game.
“We’ve talked about the potential of the team,” Jones said. “The biggest thing for us is always just being workers. We talk about that all the time, getting your extra in, coming in whenever you can — early morning, late at night — to be the player that you can be. Fulfill your potential. So it’s good. Everybody is really ambitious. We work really hard and they’re good guys.”
Bouknight is clearly pleased with Clifford’s direction and guidance so far, suggesting with body language alone how the rapport he’s quickly building with the 61-year-old is already much warmer than his relationship with Borrego.
Under Borrego, Bouknight appeared in just 31 games and played in only three of their final 22 games following the well-publicized incident in February. None of those minutes in his last three outings were meaningful, unlike earlier in the season when the Hornets were thin in the backcourt with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and others out due to the league’s health and safety protocols.
But there’s a good chance things will be different in Year 2. The thought elicits a smirk from Bouknight.
“It feels great,” he said. “I’m in a good space mentally, a great space. I’m excited for the season. I haven’t really set any goals. I’m just going to play and see where it takes me.”
The importance of being in a positive position psychologically isn’t lost on Bouknight, either. Stress, as he’s learning, can be difficult to shake off.
“Honestly, I don’t feel a lot of athletes have gone through a lot of adversity,” Bouknight said. “A lot of athletes don’t know what it’s like to be down mentally or in a slump. And I know what it feels like. I was there all last year. It’s awesome to be out of that and in a groove again and like myself again. There’s nothing like it.”
Clifford is ensuring Bouknight, Jones, Thor, Mark Williams and the Hornets’ other young twenty-somethings are clear on pertinent details. Large and small.
There’s been plenty of dialogue as they all get to know each other.
“He just talks to me about the details of screening and rolling,” Jones said, “doing the simple things right, knowing the pick-and-roll coverage. Being an expert in what we do. That’s the biggest thing for him. Being an expert, a professional.”
Those words are constantly driven home by veterans in the locker room because they know how quickly things can change. A variety of circumstances could easily alter the rotation and it’s why they try to stay in the ears of the younger players as much as possible.
“You tell them the same thing I was told,” Gordon Hayward said, “which is, ‘You’ve got to be a professional.’ Some days it’s a job, and you’ve got to go to work, and you’ve got to do your job and it’s not as fun as the other days.
“But you’ve got to always stay ready, you’ve got to always keep putting the work in. I think the work is what allows you to stay ready. So keep putting the work in and when your time is called you’ll be ready.”
When that happens over the coming months, Bouknight promises to deliver. He was electric on occasion in his initial season, but there were too many peaks and valleys.
He insists he’s sharpened his skill set and can help the Hornets in multiple ways.
“If you seen me play you know I can go to the bucket, but I think my game is so much more than that,” Bouknight said. “Just working over the summer on making the right reads on the weak side, passing the ball, playing with my size, playing on the defensive end. I just think I’m capable of doing everything on the court, honestly.”
Especially with his rebirth. New ink and all.
Confidence appears to be oozing out of Bouknight. Yes, he’s back to being the boisterous, playful 22-year-old native New York who enjoys dishing out his share of smack.
“I’m always uplifted,” Bouknight said. “You know Melo, I’m kind of like Melo. So we always scream, we are always loud and when I come in here and I’m just down, everybody knows it. To be here and just feel good again and feel like myself, there’s nothing like it.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 11:42 AM.
