For UConn’s Bouknight, reality of NBA draft is still surreal
Former Huskies star expected to be a lottery pick on Thursday night
James Bouknight has spent the past few months trying to make the most a chaotic NBA on ramp.
His flights crossed the country for workouts, training sessions and meetings that represent his upcoming basketball reality. In Oklahoma City, Bouknight went out to dinner with Thunder general manager Sam Presti. In the Bay Area, he had meaningful conversations with Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
It’s been a whirlwind, the process that began in March at the conclusion of his sophomore season at UConn, one that ends Thursday with the NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Bouknight is expected to be a lottery selection.
“When I first got to New York Sunday, I went back to the neighborhood where I grew up, in the Lower West Side, in the Chelsea area,” Bouknight said Monday on a Zoom call with media. “And I went back to the park where I used to play at.
There were a whole bunch of kids there, and the kids wouldn’t leave me alone to the point where it was kind of getting annoying. I was just like, ‘Man, I’m an inspiration now.’ It felt good. It hit me a little different, that kids look up to me.”
The NBA dreams are getting real now, coming fast, yet the entire situation remains surreal in many ways.
“That’s the best word for it,” Bouknight said. “For many, this was a lifelong dream. I started out playing baseball so this wasn’t always a dream of mine. But when I did start hooping and I told myself I wanted to play in the league, like, you never really think it’s going to happen. Now that I’m here, in the position I am, it’s just like, wow, I’m here and I’m doing it big. It’s exciting.”
Bouknight is expected to be UConn’s first lottery selection since 2012, when Andre Drummond went ninth to the Pistons and Jeremy Lamb 12th to the Rockets. He has worked out individually for Orlando (which owns the fifth pick), Oklahoma City (6th), Golden State (7th), New Orleans (10th) and Charlotte (11th).
There was plenty for him to prove.
Bouknight’s two seasons at UConn where highlighted by his unique scoring ability. He averaged 13 points as a freshman and 18.7 as a sophomore. He poured in a career-high 40 points in December against Creighton. There were the mind-blowing dunks, and the soft floater, tailor-made NBA skills.
But Bouknight was also limited to 15 games last season, due to an elbow injury. His 3-point shooting suffered, at just 29 percent. And he struggled with fatigue and dehydration issues in March, not playing very well in the Big East Tournament or an NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland.
“When you go into those workouts, you’ve got to kill it,” Bouknight said. “During this whole process you get to see the business side of the league, and you could forget about the reasons why you first started hooping. So this whole process, I’ve just been trying to go into these workouts just having fun with it, not forgetting the reason I started hooping was to have fun. … I think I’m a player that can go into the league and, right away, make an impact. I’m not saying it’s going to be sweet and I’ll be a killer from day one. There are definitely going to be rookie curves, and adjusting.”
Bouknight has consistently moved up mock drafts throughout the summer, showing an improved physique and long-range shooting touch at the draft combine last month in Chicago, where he met with representatives from numerous teams.
“I feel like I can play with any players, with any coach, with any system,” Bouknight said. “I feel like the biggest adjustment is just getting used to playing against NBA players, their strength and their speed — and an 82-game season. … A lot of people like to say defense is one of my weaknesses, but I really don’t feel like that. I think I compete possession in and possession out, trying to get that stop, making sure I’m in the right spot off the ball. I want to be a high-level two-way player. With my length and athleticism, I could become an elite defender.”
Bouknight, who spent his childhood in Manhattan and Brooklyn, committed to UConn on his 18th birthday, in Sept. 2018. Now he’s being chased around by kids in the old neighborhood, with a chance to become the first Brooklyn native selected in the draft’s top 10 picks since Stephon Marbury went fourth overall to the Bucks in 1996.
Of course, he’ll be featured in the next version of the NBA 2K video game, too.
“I don’t even know how to explain that feeling,” Bouknight said. “It’s definitely dope, being in a video game. I can pick up my controller and I can play with myself. It’s crazy. It’s a blessing.”
Bouknight said he has noticed his stock rising, but he tries not to dwell on it.
“Once I made the decision to declare, I felt I was ready for the league,” he said.
It had been a wild two years at UConn, starting with his on-campus arrest and three-game suspension to open the 2019-20 season. He debuted at the Charleston Classic in Nov. 2019 and was immediately an impact player.
Now he is about to start over again, having come home to learn on Thursday where he’ll begin his life’s work. Bouknight mentioned this specific goal — moving on to the NBA after a second season at UConn — well before last season began.
“Playing for Coach (Dan) Hurley, that’s going to prepare you for life, the real world,” Bouknight said. “I feel like the biggest thing I learned from UConn is how to be a real person, off the court just being accountable and someone people can rely on, making a schedule and being able to stick to that schedule, setting goals and not just stating they’re going to happen — being able to work toward those goals and make them happen, really speak them into existence.”