Peachtree Hoops continues its 2021 NBA Draft scouting report series with a look at James Bouknight, a guard out of UConn.
If you watched one of UConn’s games this year, you probably heard the announcers mention that James Bouknight, a 6’4” sophomore shooting guard with a 6’8” wingspan, is from New York City — Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to be precise. As the Huskies’ leading scorer and someone excellent at drawing fouls, Bouknight gave the announcers plenty of opportunity to posit that his style of play — featuring an advanced handle that often left defenders looking silly and a flashy layup package — is a product of where he’s from:
The comparison between Bouknight and the archetypal New York City guard — a relentless, creative slasher known more for breaking ankles than playmaking — hasn’t been lost on draft scouts, either: “He just brings that New York mindset, that playground mindset, to the game in terms of the way he’s able to break down defenders,” Sam Vecenie, the draft guru for The Athletic, said about Bouknight.