Charlotte Hornets rookies James Bouknight and Kai Jones on Saturday combined to score 48 points on assignment with the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League.
Bouknight led the Swarm with a game-high 33 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot in a 111-104 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He finished 9-of-21 from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, Jones recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots, two assists and one steal in 34 minutes of work. He scored nine points in the first half and went 6-of-9 from the field in the contest, making his lone 3-point attempt.
James Bouknight came to Greensboro and went OFF 🔥
33 PTS, 7 REB, 5 3PM for the first-round pick! pic.twitter.com/EoTWiB9MTE
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 14, 2021
Bouknight emerged as an elite scorer in college last season at UConn. He has flashed that ability in a limited sample size with the Hornets and had that working on Saturday in Greensboro.
The performance even earned a shout-out from teammate LaMelo Ball.
gangg really like tht 💯 https://t.co/je8kFKcMrH
— Melo (@MELOD1P) November 14, 2021
Bouknight and Jones played with the Swarm on Saturday after seeing little playing time with the Hornets. The assignment with Greensboro gave them the opportunity to see extended playing time and stay fresh on the court to begin the season.
Hornets head coach James Borrego said last month the team firmly believes Bouknight and Jones figure into its long-term plans but will need to find playing time for them. They like what each player brings and it figures to be only a matter of time before they crack the rotation.
They were both recalled from the Swarm on Sunday prior to hosting the Golden State Warriors.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
