There was a lot of hope for the 2025 Charlotte Hornets draft class, and for good reason.

Kon Knueppel has started the season in solid fashion, averaging 12.3 points per game in six games, as well as shooting 42% from 3 on seven attempts.

Liam McNeeley impressed not just Hornets brass, but impressed NBA fans who weren’t familiar with his game in Summer League.

And Ryan Kalkbrenner, the second rounder who has started every game and is shooting an unsustainable 85% from the field.

But there’s one more draftee from the class that seems to get overlooked.

And that’s Sion James.

James is a fifth year guard who spent four years at Tulane and then went over to Duke, where he truly shone.

He played in every game, and started in 32 of them, and to the naked eye, the numbers don’t pop out.

But two particular traits stood out as he continued to establish himself as a legitimate player, and that was his defense and his perimeter shooting.

In his lone season in Durham, James shot 42% from 3-point range, but in his four seasons at Tulane, he also averaged a career 1.6 steals per game.

Surprisingly, James was taken the pick before Kalkbrenner, but he’s certainly the type of player that sets the culture, especially to a team that didn’t necessarily have a culture before.

His former Blue Devil teammate in Knueppel was effusive in his praise for James.

“Sion’s a great teammate. Obviously, he has the physical advantages. He’s a beast, super strong. But he’s just such a smart player and it’s easy to play with him. He doesn’t make mistakes on defense. He’s always making quick decisions on the offensive end. And right now, he’s shooting like 100% from three. So if you can do those things, you can play in this league for a long time.”

This past Sunday in a win against the Utah Jazz, James received his first career start with Brandon Miller still out and LaMelo Ball dealing with an ankle injury. And he didn’t look back.

In 29 minutes played, James notched 15 points on six-of-eight shooting, making three 3-pointers with five rebounds and three assists.

The NBA has centered around being a young man’s game, with teams heavily valuing raw talent over a proven track record of consistent play in college. 

A lot of times those four-to-five year players typically find their way into the G-League or overseas, but for James, the one year at Duke really highlighted his importance to a team.

So what happens if Miller and Ball remain out?

No problem at all.

James plays similar to a grizzled veteran, and his style of play reminds you of a Bruce Bowen-type of player. Someone that the Hornets have desperately needed since they returned to Charlotte.