The Hornets didn’t expect for UConn guard James Bouknight to be on the board at No. 11.
But he was — and they drafted him.
Bouknight, who was often mocked earlier in the lottery, fell to the Hornets, which GM Mitch Kupchak called ‘a good thing.’
“We are surprised. He did come down to us further than I thought he would,” Kupchak said. “That’s a good thing. We got a player that we thought we rated much higher.”
The Charlotte Hornets draft James Bouknight out of UCONN with the No. 11 pick. https://t.co/2Ebea7OM0B
— Lonzo Wire (@LonzoWire) July 30, 2021
Kupchak also said that he received tons of calls from other teams in the ‘last 20 minutes’ before ultimately making the pick for themselves. “There was as much demand for that pick this year as I’ve ever seen in my years,” Kupchak said.
James Bouknight brings a true scorer’s mentality to the Hornets backcourt alongside LaMelo Ball. With guard Malik Monk hitting free agency and likely heading elsewhere, Bouknight fits a need, says Kupchak.
“Coincidentally, he does fit a need in the backcourt.”
Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire to see who the Hornets select with their three second-round picks.
