HARTFORD, Conn. — James Bouknight’s short, consequential career at UConn has come to an end. He announced his long-anticipated decision to enter the NBA draft.
Bouknight, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, is projected by most draft analysts to be a top-15 or lottery pick, even though he struggled late in the season in the Huskies’ biggest games. The NBA evaluates potential, not game-by-game college results.
He announced his decision Wednesday via Twitter.
Bouknight will have the opportunity to work out for NBA teams, participate in the combines, June 21-27, if invited, and get feedback before making a final decision to hire an agent. The deadline for withdrawing from the draft and returning to school is July 19. The draft is scheduled for July 29.
Bouknight missed eight midseason games with an elbow injury that required surgery to remove bone spurs. In the 15 games he played, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, with a high of 40 points against Creighton on Dec. 20. In three postseason games, he went 14-for-40 from the floor, 1 for 13 on 3s.
From Brooklyn, where he began at LaSalle High, Bouknight went to MacDuffie School in Massachusetts, where he became a sought-after prospect. He committed to UConn in September 2018. His career at Storrs began with an arrest on multiple charges stemming from an automobile accident, and he was suspended his first three games. He made a splash upon returning and averaged 13.1 points, becoming a starter over the final 16 games. After three losing seasons, Bouknight helped UConn finish strong with a 19-12 record before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the AAC tournament to be canceled.
UConn coach Dan Hurley has frequently credited Bouknight with being the recruit that turned the program around. If he is a lottery pick, he would be the program’s first since Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb in 2012. UConn had 13 in 18 years prior to that.
