Bronny James is like few other NBA Draft prospects in recent memory. Why?
Well, start by asking yourself which other projected second-round pick has had this much attention, arguably more than the potential No.1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher.
Of course, the fact there is still some level of uncertainty as to who could go first overall, combined with the lack of superstar talent at the top of this year’s class, has only further thrust the 19-year-old into the spotlight.
That is nothing new for Bronny though, being the son of one of the greatest NBA players of all time, heartlessly booed during road games for USC with Arizona State fans even chanting “overrated” after he missed a layup for the Trojans in January.
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“He’s just a kid trying to live out his dream,” father and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron said on his ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with JJ Redick of the “hatred” and “animosity” towards Bronny.
“You know, there’s a very small number of men and women that actually get to live out their dream of playing a professional sport. And we have grown … men and women out here doing whatever they can to try to make sure that does not happen.
“That is the weirdest thing in the world.”
The fact Bronny is even here, still on the court and now on the verge of being drafted into the NBA, is something worth celebrating in itself after he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed at a July workout last year.
For Bronny, his father’s name is both a blessing and a curse. But now, the 19-year-old is preparing to take the first step towards forging his own path in the NBA.
That likely starts on Friday, or potentially Thursday, as he waits for his name to be called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in either the first or second round of this year’s draft.
Here, foxsports.com.au breaks down everything you need to know about Bronny ahead of the draft, from what NBA experts are saying about his potential to where he may land.
BACKGROUND
Bronny was a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, where he missed the majority of his sophomore season with a torn meniscus in his knee.
He really broke out as a senior, averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals and was ranked as the No. 19 overall recruit in the 2023 recruiting class by ESPN at that point.
Bronny went on to be named McDonald’s All-American, scoring 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from downtown with four assists in the event, while also earning selection for Team USA at the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit.
He had 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in that game, not seeing a lot of playing time in the second half but coming up clutch when he was required in the fourth quarter as he drained a key 3-pointer and forced a turnover on the other end soon after.
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Bronny considered USC before committing to play college basketball at USC, where his freshman season was interrupted after he suffered a cardiac arrest, which it was later determined was caused by a congenital heart defect.
It put Bronny’s immediate playing future in doubt, although he later returned to the court after missing the opening month of the season to make his USC debut against Long Beach State.
Bronny ended up playing every game for the rest of the season, although he only started in six of them and averaged 19.3 minutes, which ranked ninth on the team.
It resulted in the 19-year-old posting underwhelming numbers, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 36.6 per cent from the field and 26.7 per cent from deep.
He also shot just 19.6 per cent on catch-and-shoot threes, according to Synergy Sports, which is particularly concerning if he is projected to be a 3-and-D guy who isn’t able to consistently create his own shot.
Of course, that shot may come at some point but again, Bronny seems like the kind of player who is a few years away from being able to have a meaningful impact in the NBA.
WHAT ARE THE EXPERTS SAYING?
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo described Bronny as an “explosive guard with strong defensive versatility” but questioned whether he has the offensive upside to contribute right away, adding he “is not a dynamic ball handler or shot-creator, lacking assertiveness at times”.
“James made strides as a senior in high school and had impressive showings in the spring all-star circuit, but he had a difficult time finding his footing at USC, especially as a scorer,” they wrote.
“His strong feel for the game, length, frame, budding shot-making prowess and competitiveness defensively give him plenty of things to work with in the long term if he can get back on the encouraging track he was on before his cardiac arrest.”
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, meanwhile, wrote in his very comprehensive draft guide — which is 122 pages long and available here — that Bronny is a “sharp team defender with a great feel for the game” but added that he worries the 19-year-old is “merely a good defender and not the kind of outlier great one he’d need to be to warrant being drafted on his merits”.
Vecenie’s biggest concern though surrounded Bronny’s size and how that projects for his ability to be a 3-and-D role player in today’s NBA, stressing that the Trojans guard needs to improve his shot to be a genuine threat as an off-ball player.
More broadly, Vecenie wrote that Bronny would have been “much better served” spending another year playing college basketball to “get the reps he needs offensively”.
“We need to be upfront about this: We would not be talking about James as an NBA prospect if not for his father. He is nowhere near ready for the NBA,” Vecenie wrote.
“He’s at least two years away if every single thing goes right with his development in the next couple of seasons. For him to get the development he needs on the ball and to iron out his consistency as a shooter, he must spend the next two years in the G League. To me, that’s not a worthwhile investment given that his upside is something in the ballpark of a rotational 3-and-D guard. That upside is littered with potential landmines.
“I couldn’t rank him outside of the top 75 on my board because he’s young, athletic and clearly has excellent basketball IQ in addition to a great motor on the defensive end at 19. If this goes right, you can see an outcome that is similar to Devin Carter.
“Still, he is outside of the range of players whom I have two-way grades on in this class. I have an Exhibit 10 grade on Bronny and think he would have been much better served heading back to school to get the reps he needs offensively.”
An NBA general manager had similar thoughts when speaking to The Ringer in April.
“Bronny is nowhere near ready,” they said.
“He should go back to school to develop at his own pace or he risks getting lost in the shuffle, whether or not he’s playing with his dad.”
WHERE COULD HE BE DRAFTED?
Well, at this stage the two most likely landing spots appear to be the Lakers (No. 17 and 55) and Suns (No. 22), if you are going off who Bronny has worked out with before the draft.
ESPN reported that sources from a half-dozen NBA teams said they had “difficulty securing workouts” with Bronny.
His agent Rich Paul has been specific about which teams Bronny has worked out with, telling ESPN it is “nothing new” for him to “find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there”.
Paul also mentioned Dallas (No. 58), Minnesota (No. 27 and 37) and Toronto (No. 19 and 31) as other teams that have shown interest in Bronny, although the first two don’t make a lot of sense given they are both title contenders who should be drafting players that can contribute right away.
Paul also confirmed to Bleacher Report that he has made it clear Bronny will not be signing a two-way contract, which gives NBA teams the opportunity to move developmental players between the NBA and G-League.
You would think a player like Bronny would benefit from spending some time in the G-League working on his game, while ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski also flagged back in May that the prospect of the 19-year-old selling out G-League arenas would make him an attractive option for a broad range of teams.
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“Bronny James is going to have an impact for organisations not just on the basketball side but potentially on the business side,” Wojnarowski said on ‘NBA Today’ at the time.
“He’s almost assuredly going to start in the G-league; he will pack G-league Arenas, merchandising all of those make him an attractive player whether it’s late first round or second round.”
Of course, two months have passed since that point and with the way James performed at the NBA Draft Combine and then his Pro Day it is understandable that some teams may have changed their opinion on Bronny’s ability to produce in the NBA right away.
But ruling out a two-way contract does limit the amount of teams that would be likely open to drafting Bronny, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst describing Paul’s comments in the lead-up to the Draft as “very interesting”.
“The fact that he’s turned down some workouts, which you don’t normally see from a second-round pick and also that he has very much made public that he’s not going to sign a two-way deal, that does indicate in a normal setting that a player is turning off some teams, closing the door on some teams,” Windhorst said.
“I will say this though, when it comes to Bronny we are in a unique situation where we cannot compare him to other situations.”
That is very true, especially when you consider the suggestions some teams could draft Bronny as a way of then giving themselves leverage in a potential play at LeBron in free agency.
Although recently, most NBA insiders seem to be leaning towards that no longer being at the top of mind for both LeBron and teams who may consider drafting Bronny.
That is consistent with comments from LeBron himself, who has indicated playing with Bronny isn’t the priority it once was for him.
With that being said, if Bronny is still available at 55th overall you would have to think the Lakers are locked in to take him given the message it would send LeBron if they didn’t.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, for example, has Bronny going to the Lakers in his most recent mock draft, where he wrote:
“Rival teams sound uncertain about Bronny James’ chances of getting drafted, though the Los Angeles Lakers remain the popular guess as to his most likely destination. If he’s still on the board deep into the second round, L.A.’s front office could feel pressure to select him, considering it’s essentially a risk-free pick that late, and passing at No. 55 would signal to LeBron how little the team thinks of Bronny.”
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, meanwhile, reported earlier this month that the Lakers are “widely expected to draft Bronny either with one of their own two picks (No.17 or 55) or by trading up in the second round.”
Wojnarowski, however, reported the Lakers “are not considering” Bronny with their first-round pick, which makes sense given the team has other needs to address and can’t afford a luxury pick like Bronny at that price.
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