Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is currently in the NCAA transfer portal and has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. As he weighs his future in basketball, the son of one of the best NBA players ever seems to have a consensus evaluation from NBA talent evaluators.
James, a 6-foot-4 guard, had a challenging 2023-’24 season with the USC Trojans. Following a cardiac arrest that sidelined him for the start of the season and jeopardized his playing career, James returned to the court in December and played a bench role for the Trojans.
Related: NBA insider reveals Los Angeles Lakers’ stance on drafting Bronny James
- Bronny James stats USC (Fox Sports): 4.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 36.6% FG
On April 5, James entered the transfer portal and declared for the NAB Draft. While he hasn’t officially made a decision on which path he’ll take, scouts and NBA executives who reviewed his film already seem to have a firm scouting report on the former Trojans’ guard.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic said that in conversations with NBA teams and executives, the general consensus on James’ talent is and his role at the next level.
“He’s more of a role player type. I think his calling card right now is his defense, his three-point shooting. He’s someone that can fit in as an ancillary player on a good team…His defense is pretty good for a prospect that age.”
Mike Vorkunov on Bronny James in the NBA
Related: Charles Barkley’s take on Bronny James on same team as LeBron James
It’s worth noting that James was not an effective three-point shooter in his freshman season. While he averaged 2.4 three-point attempts per game and averaged 19.4 minutes per contest, he shot just 26.7 percent from the perimeter. While he did make 33.3 percent of his attempts from deep in February (6-of-18), he had a 22.2 percent three-point shooting percentage in March.
However, James’ defense is absolutely viewed as NBA-caliber and could be a skill that allows him to see minutes in a rotation immediately as a rookie. With that said, his limitations as a scorer would also likely prevent him from seeing meaningful time on the court. While spending another season in college would be better for him long term, he could be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.