James Bouknight was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He never panned out in Charlotte, which is a theme with that organization. Bouknight played a total of 79 games throughout three seasons with the Hornets, averaging just 4.8 points while shooting an inefficient 36.3 percent from the field during that stretch.
Bouknight landed with the Blazers' G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix. He spent the entire 2024-25 season on the Remix, averaging 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 44/30/63 shooting splits.
Bouknight joins Dymtro Skapintsev and Cameron Tyson as the only players on last year's Remix team to appear on the Blazers' Summer League roster.
Trail Blazers 2025 Summer League roster
Here is the roster in full:
- Keeshawn Barthelemy, G, Oregon
- James Bouknight, G, Rip City Remix
- Andrew Carr, F, Kentucky
- DJ Carton, G, San Diego Clippers
- Sidy Cissoko, G/F, Trail Blazers
- Caleb Love, G, Arizona
- Justin McKoy, F, Hapoel Be’er Sheva
- Olivier Nkamhoua, F, BV Chemnitz 99 (Finland)
- Sean Pedulla, G, Ole Miss
- Rayan Rupert, G/F, Trail Blazers
- Dmytro Skapintsev, C, Rip City Remix
- Cameron Tyson, G, Rip City Remix
- Yang Hansen, C, Qingdao Eagles (China)
What can James Bouknight bring to the Blazers?
The Blazers' Summer League roster has a crowded backcourt after signing Caleb Love to a two-way deal and Sean Pedulla to an Exhibit 10 deal shortly after the draft. It will be an uphill battle for Bouknight to work his way back to the NBA, but the talent is certainly there, as there's a reason he was a lottery pick not too long ago.
As a sophomore at UConn, Bouknight averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from deep. As a 6-foot-4 guard with impressive shot creation, Bouknight was viewed as a high-upside prospect entering the league.
If Bouknight can return to his lottery pick form, he'd address a clear need for the Blazers. With Anfernee Simons gone and only 13 players under contract, Portland needs more offensive firepower in the backcourt (regardless of what happens with unrestricted free agent Dalano Banton).
The glaring concern surrounding Bouknight's fit on Portland's roster is his three-point shooting. The Blazers desperately need more floor spacing, meaning he must drastically improve from his 30 percent clip with the Remix last season. Summer League is a small sample size, but that will be something to monitor for Bouknight.
His first opportunity comes on July 11, with the Blazers set to take on the Golden State Warriors (8:00 p.m. PDT)