James Bouknight -- a potential top-10 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and a possible Warriors target -- is starting to generate a lot of buzz.
But draft analyst Chad Ford has some reservations.
The following back-and-forth took place on the most recent episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast:
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Russillo: "James Bouknight continues to get praise. I very rarely hear any criticism about him from teams, and he seems to be stuck outside the lottery. I just heard again that this workout recently -- he absolutely torched it."
Ford: "Everything that I heard out of that workout in Chicago was he could not miss a shot. He was stroking it from everywhere on the floor. And I'm like, 'OK cool. He did that in a scripted workout with an agent.'
"[But] he shot 29 percent from three at UConn, his assist-to-turnover ratio was dramatically under water, no way he's gonna be a lead guard, he's a little bit undersized for his position and I don't know what he necessarily gives you defensively.
"So you have this guy who I think can be an elite scorer in the league because he is wired that way and he's a good athlete. So I get the appeal.
"But the analytics are a little bit discouraging [and] for teams who want multi-positional players -- he's not that. If he's a lights out shooter, then he should be a top-10 pick in this draft. But [he shot 29 percent from three].
"I think it's fair to have some skepticism."
It's true that Bouknight is a bit undersized at 6-foot-3.5 without shoes on, but he does have a 6-foot-8.25 wingspan.
And yes -- the athleticism certainly is there.
The 20-year-old went 1-for-13 from deep over his final three games with the Huskies last year, which brought his 3-point percentage down to 29.3 from 33.9.
"I just feel like the role I had at UConn, being that go-to-guy to go get the team a bucket when we need one, I sometimes took ill-advised, tough shots," Bouknight recently said at the NBA combine. "That came with the role I had.
"I’m not worried at all about my 3-point shot. Like at all. I think I’m going to surprise a lot of people.”
Golden State Warriors
Lastly, the Brooklyn native actually isn't on the outside of the lottery looking in when it comes to the mock drafts.
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The Athletic's Sam Vecenie has the Warriors snagging Bouknight at No. 7, while ESPN's Jonathan Givony -- who originally had Bouknight to the Warriors with the 14th pick -- recently moved him up to No. 8 overall.
A lot can change between now and when the draft takes place July 29, but it sure seems like Bouknight's stock is trending in a good direction.
Having said that, it's understandable why Ford is a little skeptical. The draft is an inexact science and it's not easy to project how every prospect will perform at the next level.
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