With the NBA Draft being less than a week away on June 26 and 27, an intriguing name that is gaining traction is former USC Trojans guard Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
While there were some struggles in his freshman season at USC, Bronny has shown some upside with a valuable 3-and-D skillset and could develop in the right situation. But with limited pre-draft workouts, it remains to be seen whether teams are scared off or not.
Those two teams that were granted workouts were the Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Regardless, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul maintained that he wants Bronny to go to a situation where he can develop and continue to grow, something the 19-year-old would agree with, via Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer:
“Look, I think whether it’s Bronny or whether it’s anybody in this draft, 1 through 60, they all need development. And there’s some guys that are further along,” Paul said. “In Bronny’s case, he’ll say it himself, just getting somewhere where he can have the opportunity, the investment, the development, all those things are equally important.”
Despite an impressive showing at the NBA Draft Combine, there were executives and scouts pessimistic about Bronny’s chances of becoming a successful NBA player. However, this pressure comes from being the son of LeBron, when in reality there should not be any high expectations placed on Bronny as he is continuing to grow as a player.
With some early indications that L.A. could become a possible landing spot, that notion of development could be tarnished due to media attention with the James’ and spotlight that comes with simply being the Lakers. Nonetheless, there have been some success stories of prospects that were taken late in the draft and perhaps Bronny could become another addition to that.
Rich Paul: drafting Bronny James won’t guarantee LeBron James re-signs with Lakers
The biggest decision facing the Lakers this offseason is LeBron James and what he will do with his player option. The most likely option is that he declines it to ink a new deal, depending on what moves general manager Rob Pelinka makes to propel L.A. into title contention once again.
With the NBA Draft approaching, many front offices, including the Lakers, are contemplating drafting Bronny in order to lure LeBron. However, Rich Paul spoke out saying that drafting Bronny would not guarantee LeBron coming back next season with the purple and gold.
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