Tuesday night, the Hornets will know where they are picking in the 2023 NBA Draft. They enter the lottery with the fourth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick. However, they could fall to as low as the eighth pick.
Where the Hornets land could ultimately dictate the future of former first-round pick, James Bouknight, who has struggled to find a role with the big league club.
If the Hornets climb into the top three, Scoot Henderson would be an option that would be difficult for the organization to pass up. Even though he's more of a point, he'll be coming to Charlotte as an off-ball guard. Should the Hornets stay put around four or five or drop to perhaps seven or eight, Amen Thompson and Gradey Dick could enter the conversation. Selecting either of them once again inserts direct competition for Bouknight.
In 65 games with the team, Bouknight has averaged 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 12.6 minutes. One of the things that have impacted Bouknight's development is the countless injuries that he suffered, most notably, a broken finger that kept him out of Summer League last offseason.
"He didn't really do anything. He was injured," head coach Steve Clifford said. "So I would say and this would be hard to argue with, that regardless of how old guys are, most of their year is set up in the summer. Rarely do guys have bad summers and come back and have great years."
Although there hasn't been a ton of contribution from Bouk at the NBA level, he has earned the respect of not only Clifford but his teammates.
"I don’t think NBA fans understand how talented Bouk really is," Dennis Smith Jr. said toward the end of the season. "You can watch him make 20 3s in a row, and that’s regular for him. Super talented, super athletic, so for him to come in and have an impact like that, especially after what he did in the G (League), I think that’s major for his confidence."
Heading into year three with the organization, Bouknight will have his work cut out for him when it comes to carving out a spot in the rotation. When he gets his opportunities, he has to make the most of it because time is running out for him to prove he's worth handing a second contract to.
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