The Golden State Warriors are looking for prospects in the NBA Draft with enough experience to help win an NBA title next season, that much is clear. But how many college games qualify as quality experience?
How about, say, 43? That’s how many games NBA Draft prospect James Bouknight played for UConn in his amateur career. Could the Warriors select the 20-year-old wing with their No. 14 pick, given their need for an immediate contributor?
FOX Sports’ Jason McIntyre thinks is a possibility. He chose Bouknight for the Warriors at No. 14 in his NBA Mock Draft 3.0. Here’s what he wrote about the selection.
He’s a bucket in the way that Jordan Clarkson and CJ McCollum can instantly provide scoring. But all that other stuff – defense, distribution – doesn’t come as easily. To preserve and prolong Stephen Curry’s prime, the more the Warriors can rest him in the regular season and get, say, 15 a night from Bouknight, the more fresh the best shooter in NBA history will be come playoff time.
Jason McIntyre/FOX Sports
Drafting a player that compares to Jordan Clarkson or C.J. McCollum certainly sounds appealing. Even falling short of that, Bouknight could possibly form a nice backup guard duo with Jordan Poole, who can create shots for others in addition to score field goals.
At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Bouknight notched 18.7 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting in his final year at UConn, though he hit just 29.3 percent from 3-point distance. He shot free throws at a 80.2 percent clip in his two collegiate seasons, however, so it’s reasonable to expect his 3-point shot to improve.
But can Bouknight really extend superstar guard Stephen Curry’s prime and help win a championship next season? Over his 43 games of college experience, he did his best to prove he can. Taking a look at his highlights, he’s certainly a talented scorer. If he’s there at No. 14, general manager Bob Myers would do well to bring Bouknight to the Bay Area.
What do you think? Will he even be there at 14? If so, is he the right pick? Take a look at Bouknights highlights below and make the call.
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