#2 James Bouknight – Guard – UCONN

Much like Josh Primo, another guy whose draft stock continues to increase is James Bouknight out of UConn. While he only played in 15 games with the Huskies this past year, Bouknight averaged 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and shot 44.7% from the floor, cementing himself as one of the best finishers and scorers at the guard position in this draft class. 

The first thing you think of when you see James Bouknight out on the court is how long he is for a guard and how well he creates opportunities not just for himself, but for others as well. Offense is scoring is what you get with this guy and plenty of teams in the first-round will be monitoring him heading into the draft. 

At the NBA Draft Combine, James Bouknight measured in at just under 6’5” and he measured a 6’8.25” wingspan. He did not play in any of the scrimmages, nor participate in any of the agility/strength drills, but the 20-year-old guard has seemed to lock-in his spot in the mid first-round range because of his play at UConn. 

The best part of Bouknight’s game besides his ability to score is his ability to crash the offensive glass. He averaged 1.5 offensive boards per game this past season and while that does not seem like a lot, he created plenty of second-chance points for his team. 

With T.J. McConnell being a free agent and the future of Aaron Holiday being uncertain, the Indiana Pacers could really use another reliable guard in their backcourt next to Malcolm Brogdon, which is why James Bouknight could be in the play for them with the 13th pick. 

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Given his length and his scoring abilities, Bouknight is a guy that could really thrive in a system like Indiana’s, which has established stars already running things. Early on in his career, he may struggle if he is thrown into a position where he has to create for not just himself but everybody else, which is not the case in Indiana. 

The Pacers could utilize Bouknight sort of as a “sixth-man” type of guy and use him as a “plug-and-play” guard. Not only will this be beneficial to his development, but he could definitely thrive off of other guys getting more attention than him on offense.