Authors: Shams Charania, Lukas Weese and Sam Vecenie
Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is expected to remain in the 2024 NBA draft, league sources said.
James, who suffered a cardiac arrest last July before returning to the court for his freshman season at USC, has been given full clearance by the NBA’s Healthy Play Panel and will participate in all pre-draft activities, starting this week with the NBA Draft Combine.
While not considered a top prospect, James was not included CompetitorSunday’s post-lottery mock draft — His last name and journey back to the field after a serious health scare make him one of the most intriguing players in this year’s draft class.
There’s also the added question of whether James and his father could be teammates. LeBron expressed his desire to finish his career with his son.
James Jr. collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during a USC team practice in July. A family spokesman said congenital heart disease contributed to the incident. Four months later, doctors cleared him to return to practice, and he made his college debut on December 10 against Long Beach State. He played in USC’s final 25 games, starting six, and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
Questions surrounding his future intensified when Andy Enfield, his college coach at USC, left for the head coaching job at SMU in March.
The 19-year-old James declared for the NBA draft on April 5.
After the coaching change at USC, LeBron said Bronny “needs to make some tough decisions” about his future.
“At the end of the day, Bronny is his own man,” James said in April.
James Jr.’s decision precedes a big one for his father, who has until June 29 to decide whether to pick up his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Help the team be open-minded.
LeBron James declined to answer questions about whether he would play the Lakers’ final game after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The NBA Draft will be held June 26-27.
Bronny is a 3-and-D guard who plays hard, makes good decisions on offense, does the little things, passes well, leads the fast break on the defensive glass, fills transition lanes and attacks the rim when given the opportunity. He’s a great defensive player who battles at the point of attack and has the length and foot speed to compete with most defenders.
James’ offense is still a work in progress. He’s struggled in the half-court this year and isn’t a great pull-up shooter. He shot just 27 percent from three last season, although he looked more confident shooting the ball at USC and showed more shooting talent than his shooting percentage showed. — Sam Vecenie, NBA draft writer
Do brownie measurements at the combine matter?
We finally have confirmation of just how old James is. On Monday, he stood at 6-foot-1 1/2 without shoes, with a wingspan of 6-7 1/4 and a standing reach of 8-2 1/2. That’s much smaller than the 6-4 height he listed while playing at USC, but it’s important to remember that colleges list players’ height in shoes. While the Trojans added an inch to Browne’s height, they didn’t dramatically exaggerate his height. The bottom line is, NBA teams are assuming James’ record is 6-2.
James’ standing distance makes him more of a point guard than a combo guard or shooting guard. Past players with an 8-2 1/2 standing reach at the combine include Bruce Brown, Collin Sexton, Terry Rozier and Avery Bradley. James is stronger and more physical than most players. — Vecheny
How much did shooting drills help him?
James’ success in Monday’s shootaround did serve as a reminder to evaluators that despite his high shooting percentage, James still has shooting potential. That being said, as I wrote about a month ago, “He showed more shooting potential as a high school player than he did in college. There’s nothing inherently wrong with his skill set. Maybe he’s in the offseason.” Lost his rhythm after not being allowed to play during the period.
Bronny James is on fire #NBAcombination…Nothing is missing👀🎯 pic.twitter.com/0YkGfbfBF8
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 14, 2024
NBA teams haven’t entered into the process yet and don’t think James can shoot. It’s the part of his offensive game they’re most confident in translating. Besides, these shots are just a drop in the bucket. Any of the hundreds of scouts and executives who attended last year’s Nike Basketball Summit saw James throw several times the sample he took at the combine. Of course, the speed at which he shot the ball last season was still the most important thing in his game. While this may have changed some people’s minds, I don’t know if it had that much of an impact. — Vecheny
How about his vertical jump?
It’s nice to confirm what people already thought, but again, evaluators are working under the assumption that James will perform well on athletic testing. This may not be a huge positive for James, but there is value in confirming preconceived notions. — Vecheny
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
