UConn Huskies sophomore James Bouknight returned from injury tonight and made it clear that he hadn’t lost a step during his absence.
Bouknight, a 6-foot-5 guard who had scored 40 points against Creighton on Dec. 20, is an explosive scorer who has shown insane vertical pop during his collegiate career thus far. We projected him as the No. 15 overall pick in our most recent 2021 NBA Mock Draft.
While he had missed more than a month of action due to injury he showed everyone Tuesday night against Providence that there was very little to be concerned about in his recovery.
Early in the first half senior forward Tyler Polley attempted a three-pointer that missed off the iron. The shot missed but then Bouknight did this:
WELCOME BACK JAMES BOUKNIGHT pic.twitter.com/sdiAusruDL
— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) February 16, 2021
Bouknight, who was aligned near the left wing on the perimeter, was able to quickly notice that the shot was not going to land. So he sprinted to the rack, beating Providence wing A.J. Reeves by foot, and then he took flight.
He displayed comical athleticism, soaring from the restricted area to then throw down an absurdly satisfying putback slam. He didn’t seem anywhere near striking distance to complete this sequence, but Bouknight just showed defenders that they have to box him out as far back as the 3-point line if they want to stop him.
The 20-year-old, who was suffering from bone spurs, underwent surgery on his left elbow on Jan. 12. He was averaging 20.3 points per game before he was sidelined.
If he keeps completing highlights like these, Bouknight could very well become a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. But until then, however, college basketball fans have a few more dunks to look forward to from the UConn star.
Welcome back, James Bouknight. We’ve missed you.
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