It is highly unlikely that former USC star Bronny James will find himself as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Instead, the son of Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James will likely have to wait until Round 2 on Thursday evening to hear his name called.
James put up a solid performance at the NBA Scouting Combine this past spring and has surprised during the pre-draft process. However, his numbers as a freshman for the Trojans and a perceived raw skill-set will likely push him down to the middle of the second round.
- Bronny James college stats: 4.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 37% shooting
We’ve obviously read rumors linking Bronny to the Lakers. He also held a workout for the Phoenix Suns, impressing the brass in the desert in the process.
The real question here is whether a team is going to reach for James because of his name. At this point, he has to be considered a major project.
Related: Ideal Bronny James landing spots in NBA Draft
Toronto Raptors confirm interest in Bronny James ahead of NBA Draft
“I think all these players are guys we’re looking at. He’s in the mix,” Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman said on Tuesday. “Every player on the board we’re looking long and hard at and I wouldn’t say we’ve ruled anybody out.”
Toronto is slated to pick 19th and 31st in the 2024 NBA Draft this week. Both slots would br consider to be a reach for Bronny.
The backdrop here is LeBron James likely opting out of his contract and potentially hitting NBA free agency. While he’s almost certainly set to return to the Lakers on a new deal, nothing can be ruled out until it’s signed on the dotted line.
As for the Raptors interest, Bronny’s agent over at Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, indicated that this was the case earlier in the pre-draft process.
“There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don’t take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president,] loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”
Rich Paul on Bronny James interest
We’ll find out soon enough.