Last week, Bronny James, son of LeBron James and a guard for USC, decided to join the 2024 NBA draft after entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Bronny’s freshman season with the USC Trojans wasn’t stellar, as he only scored an average of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists coming off the bench.
His lackluster performance in college can be attributed to a heart issue he faced in July 2023, which affected his preparation for the season. Many expected him to continue at USC for another year or two before entering the draft, but Bronny has different plans.
Despite his stats indicating he might not get drafted, Lou Williams, a former star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, believes the Lakers should take a chance and pick him.
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Speaking on the Run It Back podcast, Williams said, “It’s low-risk versus high-reward, right? You know Bronny is two or three years out of [being] somebody who can give you the opportunity to win basketball games and become a young talent in this league.
Drafting him could also strengthen the Lakers’ position in keeping LeBron James happy
If you can get Bronny in the late first round, early second round with a draft pick, and have an opportunity to keep his Pops happy, have an opportunity for him to be in a system where he’s not needed right away—I think this works out.”
Williams also mentioned that the 2024 draft class isn’t particularly strong, so picking Bronny wouldn’t mean missing out on other top talents. Drafting him could also strengthen the Lakers’ position in keeping LeBron James happy.
LeBron James, a four-time MVP, is set to become a free agent in the 2024 offseason as he plans to opt out of the final year of his contract. He has expressed his desire to play alongside his son in the NBA. Bringing Bronny to the Lakers would likely convince James to stay with the team for the remainder of his career.
Sportscaster Skip Bayless believes Bronny James is ready for the NBA despite his decision to enter the draft and the NCAA transfer portal.
LeBron James would be able to utilize his son’s abilities better
On a recent episode of Undisputed, Bayless argued, “[Bronny James] doesn’t have a scoring skillset where he’d go somewhere and average 20 a game… I believe he’s ready for the NBA right now because he’s a very unique player.
It’s almost like he was born to compliment his father because he can play defense at the NBA level because he’s got physicality to him, he’s got high IQ thanks to his father and he knows how to play basketball.”
Bayless attributed Bronny’s underwhelming college performance to his heart condition and USC’s chaotic season. He suggested that LeBron would be able to utilize his son’s abilities better and help him become a solid NBA player.
While Bayless’s views may seem optimistic, he’s right in highlighting that playing alongside LeBron could be the best scenario for Bronny’s development as a player.
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