Who is James Bouknight? Evaluating his career trajectory so far in the NBA

Charlotte Hornets second-year shooting guard James Bouknight was reportedly arrested on Sunday in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He was later charged with a DWI. The news comes just days before the tip-off of the 2022-2023 NBA season.

It's a disappointing update for Hornets fans who were excited to see Bouknight in a bigger role this coming season. However, most NBA fans may not be too familiar with the player.

Here’s everything you need to know about James Bouknight’s career progression so far.

James Bouknight, aged 22, was the Charlotte Hornets' 11th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of UConn. As a 6'5" athletic scoring guard with great slashing ability, Bouknight drew draft comparisons to many prominent NBA guards. This includes Zach LaVine, CJ McCollum and Jordan Clarkson.

However, he had a fairly disappointing rookie season for the Hornets last year.

During his rookie season, Bouknight averaged 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in just 9.8 minutes per game. He struggled mightily with his efficiency, shooting just 34.8% from the field and 34.7% from 3-point range.

Bouknight also only appeared in 31 total games as he moved back and forth between the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate, The Greensboro Swarm.

However, during his seven games played in the G League, Bouknight looked much better. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game. He also shot a much more efficient 44.8% from the field, even though his 3-point percentage was still low.

Bouknight’s play in the G-League showed his potential, which led the Hornets to draft him in the lottery.

Before his recent arrest, James Bouknight was expected to get a lot more playing time for the Hornets this season. The Hornets will be without All-Star guard LaMelo Ball for the start of the season due to injury, which opened up a clear pathway to minutes for Bouknight.

In five preseason games, his minutes were already up to 22.4 per game. However, Bouknight still struggled mightily with this shot. He finished the preseason with averages of just 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. The guard also shot just 25.0% from the field and 16.7% from deep.

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How will James Bouknight’s arrest affect his status for the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season?

Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight

Following his arrest on Sunday, James Bouknight later practiced with the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, according to ESPN. However, he chose not to speak with reporters.

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford did speak briefly on the matter though and explained that the team is still investigating the situation:

"We are just gathering information right now. Until we know more definitely on what happened, I can't comment on that."

When asked if the situation could be a distraction for the team, Clifford tried to remain positive and said:

"That's this league. You know what I mean? I was told a long time ago that if you want to enjoy coaching, understand that a lot more things go wrong every day that go right. It's just the kind of job that it is. It's part of coaching at every level."

We will just have to wait and see how things progress regarding the whole situation.

The shorthanded Charlotte Hornets will kick off their regular season on Wednesday on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.