UConn sophomore star James Bouknight will declare for the NBA draft and intends to hire an agent, he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"The opportunity to play at the highest level of basketball has always been a dream of mine, and it's an opportunity that I can't pass up right now," Bouknight said. "I feel like the pro game, with more open space on the floor, is ideal for my game."
The 6-foot-5 New York City native is considered a potential lottery pick and ranked as the 18th-best prospect available in the draft by ESPN.
He said he intends to forgo his final two years of college eligibility with the decision.
Bouknight improved from 13 points per game in his freshman campaign to 18.7 in his sophomore season. Though he regressed from three (34.7% to 29.3%), the 2020-21 All-Big East first-team selection shot five attempts from deep per game this season, nearly double the 2.6 tries he mustered in his first year.
He also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31.7 minutes as a sophomore.
A dynamic scorer who can get to the rim, Bouknight put up a personal-best 40 points in an overtime loss to Creighton on Dec. 20. He missed over a month beginning in January due to surgery on his elbow but returned to help the Huskies go 5-1 down the final stretch of the regular season. He averaged 20 points and 5.8 rebounds during that span, helping the program land an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2016.
The NBA announced Monday that the 2021 draft will be held on July 29.