Jan 18, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Bryce McGowens (11) brings the ball forward during the second half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Murphy-Imagn Images Brian Murphy-Imagn Images

How two former Hornets have been doing since landing in Portland

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Tyler Carmona | Last updated Jan 25, 2025 3:48 PM ET

After each spending a few years in Charlotte, former Hornets James Bouknight and Bryce McGowens both latched on with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Since joining the Trail Blazers organization, both players have spent most of their time with the team's G-League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.

McGowens has played in five games with Portland this season, averaging 1.2 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has also played in six games with the Remix this season, averaging 27.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, including a 46-point performance on January 1st.

Bryce McGowens with a NIGHT TO REMEMBER! The second-leading scorer from the tip-off tournament erupted for a career-high 46 points on 77% shooting in just 30 minutes. This marks McGowens’ second 40+ point game of the season. pic.twitter.com/wbv7VvmwNb
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) January 2, 2025

Bouknight has not appeared in any games with the Trail Blazers this year, but through eight games with the Remix, he is averaging 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and four assists per game.

James Bouknight showed up and showed out ‍✨

◽️24 PTS
◽️6 REB
◽️3 STL pic.twitter.com/GAzze3m9k5
— Rip City Remix (@ripcityremix) January 14, 2025

Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe are among the guards on Portland's roster that stand in the way of the two former Hornets receiving any meaningful playing time with their new team.

Both players arrived in Charlotte with high expectations, with Bouknight being a lottery pick (11th overall) in the 2021 NBA Draft, while McGowens was a five-star recruit (highest-ranked player in Nebraska history) before being drafted by the Hornets in the second round.

Despite displaying exciting potential throughout their collegiate and amateur careers, the two players did not pan out in Charlotte, ultimately being waived following the 2023-24 season.

Through three seasons with the Hornets, Bouknight averaged 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds. The best season of his career came in 2022-2023, when he averaged a career-high 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists through 34 games.

Although his production was limited through three seasons, he did manage to flash some potential in Charlotte. As a rookie in 2021, Bouknight scored a career-high 24 points (6-8 3-pt FG) and brought down six rebounds while leading the Hornets to a 124-123 win over the Sacramento Kings.

James Bouknight (24 PTS) drains his career-high SIXTH triple of the night! #NBARooks @hornets lead midway through the fourth on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/V0kkYEEIkG pic.twitter.com/E4RNuXqHfO
— NBA (@NBA) December 11, 2021

McGowens joined the team on a two-way deal after being drafted ahead of the 2022-23 season, splitting time with the Greensboro Swarm before his contract was converted to a multi-year deal ahead of the 2023-24 season.

In two seasons with the Hornets, McGowens averaged 5.3 points, two rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. The best game of his career came during a 106-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers when he scored 22 points (6-11 FG) while dishing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds.