How the Hornets' biggest draft miss of the last decade still haunts them to this day

In 2021, the Charlotte Hornets had two chances to improve their roster with a first-round pick, and they whiffed on both of them. However, at the time, James Bouknight, the 11th pick, looked like a steal. Bouknight was projected as an easy top-10 pick, and he fell to the Hornets, so they took him.

That didn't pan out, as he was not an NBA-level player, and he couldn't stay out of trouble off the court, either. He's bounced around the G-League recently, but he's no longer with the Hornets. It's their biggest miss of the last decade, Bleacher Report insider Matt Velazquez says.

Velazquez admitted that the decision wasn't bad at the time, but it panned out terribly and the Hornets probably wish they'd snagged Alperen Sengun, who went 16th, instead. "Predating Bouknight, it's been a truth universally acknowledged that the Hornets are in want of a center. By taking Bouknight... they missed an opportunity to take a big man who has since proven to be one of the best players from the (admittedly underwhelming) 2021 draft class in Alperen Sengun," he added.

Sengun has become known as "Baby Jokic", and the Hornets really don't have anyone like that. "He made his first All-Star team in 2024-25, and his stock has continuously climbed as part of a Rockets team that exceeded expectations this season," Velazquez said. "A center of that caliber could have been a major asset for the Hornets over these past four seasons, but hindsight is 20/20."

That likely would've prevented them from taking Mark Williams in 2022, opening them up to potentially selecting an impact player at another position, like AJ Griffin, Christian Braun, Andrew Nembhard, or Max Christie. Things would've changed significantly.

The Hornets also would've likely passed on Kai Jones, another big man, when they got back on the clock at 19 overall. They could've had Jalen Johnson, Cam Thomas, or Herb Jones. The Hornets could've been a totally different, probably better squad if they'd just taken Sengun over Bouknight.

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