OKC Thunder: 3 reasons why James Bouknight is the right pick

James Bouknight’s defense is his most underrated skillset

If you load up some game film of James Bouknight his offensive game will get all the shine. From his leaping ability, his shooting ability, iso scoring, it is all there. However, a vastly underrated skillset with Bouknight is just how good his defense is. How good is it? With the help of Mark Daigneault, James Bouknight could be a two-way star.

Synergy rates James Bouknight as a good defender, only being scored on 36.5-percent of the time, holding his matchup to a 37.5 field goal percentage. He is a surprisingly good rim defender but thrives in one-on-one situations while understanding how to diagnose and defend the pick and roll.

Daigneault, all be it in a one-year sample size, saw each player develop under him defensively this season. Even the already thought to be elite Lu Dort contested 3’s at a higher clip and made strides on that end of the floor. If Mark works any of his magic on Bouknight, upgrading him from a good defender to a very good or excellent defender paired with his offensive production? That would make for a special talent.

A three-level scorer with defensive upside added to a backcourt that already features Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be a great leaping-off point for this OKC Thunder rebuild. Bouknight is the perfect balance of a sure-fire contributor and huge upside swing at pick six.

After a year of losing, with another projected losing season on the horizon, it is important to capitalize on this selection. The pressure is on Sam Presti and company, and we will finally get our answer on July 29th.