After initially committing to the USC Trojans, many expected Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ son Bronny James to be a one-and-done and get to the NBA as fast as possible. However, following his freshman year with the Trojans, it has become clear that he needs to continue to develop as a young prospect.
The athleticism and defensive ability were never in question with Bronny, but it is about becoming a more rounded-out offensive player. The upside is still there though and perhaps sticking around in the college game could benefit him, making sure he is the best version of himself going to the NBA.
Recently, the 19-year-old announced that he declared for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal. However, it seems that some NBA front office personnel believe that the guard is not ready to play in the NBA, via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer:
“Bronny is nowhere near ready,” an NBA general manager told The Ringer. “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.”
In today’s NBA, shooting is necessary for spacing the floor for every team. During his first collegiate season, James shot 26.7% from 3-point range, something that he needs to work on as time passes. That anonymous general manager mentioned that his jump shot needs to come around if he wants to be successful:
“[ESPN draft insider Jonathan] Givony had him ranked as a lotto guy at one point last year for a reason,” the GM continued. “But unfortunately, Bronny’s shot still hasn’t developed.”
The 2024 draft class is not viewed as a strong one, but one that possesses players that could become high-caliber role players for a team. Despite that, James is not viewed to be in the mix of the best prospects, according to this general manager:
“There are probably three rounds’ worth of prospects more talented than Bronny in this class,” the GM said. “So picking Bronny is more about getting LeBron’s attention right now than it is about developing Bronny himself.”
It will be interesting to see how draft night pans out for Bronny if he stays in it, although that still of course remains to be seen. He is far from done in terms of developing and finding that confidence on the offensive end, whatever level he does it at, which could result in great things going forward.
Duquesne expected to be ‘prominent’ transfer consideration
As time passes, Bronny James’ decision to stay in the draft or go back to college will become clearer. There have not been many schools mentioned in pursuing the 19-year-old, but Duquesne is expected to be one of them since LeBron’s high school teammate Dru Joyce is the coach there.
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