LAS VEGAS – No one has endured more adversity this college basketball season than Bronny James. The 6-foot-2 guard committed to USC last spring, and the Trojans ranked second recruiting class which included James and #1 High School Prospect Isaiah Collier.
In August, James suffered a cardiac arrest during training and underwent surgery. He returned to the court on December 10 in a home game against Long Beach State and played 17 minutes, finishing with four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the overtime loss. His return in four months is crazy to think about after everything he’s been through and a testament to the work he put in to return to the team last season.
“Any time a young guy misses four months, including the first part of the season, it’s difficult to start playing in December,” USC coach Andy Enfield told Yahoo Sports. “You’re behind on a variety of things, including conditioning, timing on offense and defense, the system you’re trying to learn. It’s really hard being a freshman, but I give him a lot of credit. He showed up every day focused, works hard and is a great teammate.”
Now that the NBA draft order has been determined and James has been officially cleared to play in the league by the Fitness to Play Panel — likely keeping him in the draft — one question remains to be answered: What are James’ NBA prospects really?
That answer could evolve this week at the draft combine with James ready to participate in five-on-five scrimmages. He will also participate in measurements and interviews with teams.
It’s clear that James needs more development before contributing to any NBA roster, but there have been plenty of players drafted in the past with similar stats to Bronny who have developed in the G League, getting reps and adjusting to the pace and physicality of the NBA. game.
Last year, Chris Livingston was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 58th pick. In his year at Kentucky, Livingston averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds. Also in 2023, the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Jaylen Clark from UCLA at No. 53. Clark tore his Achilles tendon late last season, and the Timberwolves still drafted him with potential, knowing they would have to wait an entire season before he took the court. In 2022, the Denver Nuggets drafted Peyton Watson with the 30th overall pick after he averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in one season at UCLA.
Bronny’s first year at USC was disheartening from a scouting standpoint. He finished the season averaging 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 27.3% from behind the arc. There is hesitancy on his 3-ball and he hasn’t asserted himself enough on offense this season, playing alongside two ball-dominant guards in Collier and Boogie Ellis. Where he is most impactful is on the defensive end. Bronny can defend both positions in the backcourt, keeping players in front, and is an excellent rebounder for his size. He’s gotten stronger since last year and does a good job of establishing position when the pitch goes up.
“He is a very intelligent player and has a solid feel for the game,” an NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “He needs more time to develop, but the fundamental mechanics are there.”
James has until May 29 to decide whether to remain in the draft. If not, he could commit to a new school through the NCAA transfer portal.
“I think he’ll probably stay in this draft,” an NBA executive told Yahoo Sports. “Should he come back for another year? Probably, but teams will seriously look at him this year if he decides to stay in this draft class.”
Bronny is far from a finished product and has always been a player who doesn’t rush the development process. He was patient as he grew up at Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, California) and was named a McDonald’s All-American, one of the highest honors for high school basketball players, his senior year. It’s an honor he’s proven to have earned beyond being LeBron James’ son. During the all-star game, Bronny hit five 3-pointers and added four assists with his family sitting courtside.
The deciding factor for Bronny will be based on whether he wants to continue to develop against his college-level peers or get G League reps playing with NBA rules and spacing.
On a now-deleted tweet from February 26, LeBron weighed in on the speculation and criticism surrounding his son, saying, “Can you guys please let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” LeBron wrote. “The work and results will ultimately do the talking, no matter what he decides to do.”
The 2024 NBA Draft is considered a weak class. There is no consensus on the No. 1 pick and there will be a lot of movement on teams’ draft boards between now and June 26th. It’s also worth noting that the Los Angeles Lakers have the 55th pick in the draft and could be a heavy favorite to take Bronny.
Bronny and LeBron could make history as the first father-son duo to share an NBA court. Collier, a potential lottery pick in this year’s draft, thinks his former teammate could also be ready to start his professional career.
“Bronny has grown a lot this year,” Collier told Yahoo Sports. “College ball is definitely difficult for everyone coming in as a freshman and especially what he went through. People don’t know how hard he works. He’s unselfish and he’s a smart player.”
