Hornets reserve guard to undergo arthroscopic surgery. How long will he be out?

James Bouknight’s third season is beginning on a tough note.

The Charlotte Hornets announced the guard will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to take care of a meniscus injury in his left knee. No specific timetable was given for his return, but he is expected to be reevaluated in four weeks.

Bouknight got banged up in training camp practice last Thursday and didn’t participate in the Hornets’ purple and teal day on Saturday. He’s not with the team on its current two-game road trip, which concludes in Washington on Thursday.

“It stinks for him and for us, and it’s just part of the NBA,” coach Steve Clifford said. “It’s like now the only thing that he can do is just concentrate on doing a good job with his rehab and getting back as soon as he can.”

When he does return, Bouknight will have a steep hill to climb to dent Charlotte’s backcourt depth chart. He’s behind and it’s hard to see him getting any minutes at reserve shooting guard with the likes of Brandon Miller ahead of him in the pecking order.

Through his first two seasons, which spans 65 games, Bouknight averaged 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and an assist in 12.6 minutes per game. He spent a good portion of the 2022-23 season playing in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm and was a member of the Hornets’ summer league team in July, using the time to help hone his game and carve out a niche in Clifford’s system.