Firmly gripped in his right hand and attached to his palm like it’s superglued, 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.