Bronny James is expected to remain undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sorry, Duquesne. The spotlight will be shining bright on James in the 2024 NBA Draft this week. Today we will discuss about Bronny James: NBA Draft Combine,Woj & Bobby Marks.
Bronny James: NBA Draft Combine,Woj & Bobby Marks
Whether Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, will play a big role in the NBA is an open question. But one thing’s for sure: He’ll be an interesting prospect that will be talked about for some time.
Even though he struggled during his freshman season at the University of Southern California, he still made himself eligible for this year’s NBA Draft. However, he has also entered the transfer portal if he wants to stay in school, but there is increasing expectation that he will remain in the draft.
The league’s draft combine is underway in Chicago, and the young James has been medically cleared after suffering a cardiac arrest episode last summer. While many are skeptical about whether he’s ready for the next level, some aspects of his performance at the Combine are promising.
First, his vertical jump was measured at a strong 40.5 inches, which was fourth among all players.
Some have doubts about whether he has enough next-level athletic skills to shine in the pros.
Despite being listed at 6-foot-4 with the Trojans, his height was measured at less than 6-foot-2. But his wingspan is just over 6-foot-7, which is pretty impressive for a guy under 6-foot-2.
A big concern about the young James is how his outside shooting will hold up at the next level. While he made progress in that area at Sierra Canyon School, especially during his senior season there, he made only 26.7% of his 3-point attempts and 36.6% of his total shot attempts this year with the Trojans.
But at the combine, he performed very well during the 3-point star shooting drill. Actually, he finished second.
He also controlled himself during the movement shooting drill.
NBA Draft Combine
Bronny James is expected to remain undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sorry, Duquesne. The bright lights will be on James this week at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, where he will look to prove he is a draftable prospect. It probably won’t matter what he looks like, as his famous father has made it clear he wants to play with his son before he retires.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to follow LeBron James’ wishes; Whether he goes No. 17 overall in the first or second round will be one of the defining stories of June’s draft, which is a two-night event this year.
An unfortunate series of events resulted in James falling from a top-30 recruit to a second-round pick and a top-15 prospect in the CBS Sports prospect rankings.
Bronny suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a workout in August, delaying his USC debut until mid-December. Bronny struggled to stay afloat, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on a struggling Trojans team. He wasn’t the only Trojan whose stock fell: Top-3 high school prospect Isaiah Collier performed poorly on his way to averaging 16 points per game and is expected to be a top-10 draft pick in June.
Bronny James: NBA Draft Combine,Woj & Bobby Marks
Kobe Johnson was a projected Round 1 pick entering the year and does not appear in Kyle Boone’s latest CBS Sports mock draft. Even coach Andy Enfield, seeing the writing on the wall, left for SMU and started a historic chain reaction that ultimately led to John Calipari taking the Arkansas job.
“My opinion of Bronny is exactly the same as it was a year ago – he was never going to be a lottery pick as some had suggested,” says 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein. “However, he was a physically gifted athlete who shot the ball well from the 3-point line and was a very good defender. In short, he was a player who could impact wins.
Woj & Bobby Marks
Bronny James is under the biggest microscope at this week’s combine, as his flaws and positives are being pointed out left and right amid discussion of his NBA potential.
James is reportedly expected to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft, and many mock drafts have the Lakers selecting him with the 55th pick to pair with his father and fulfill one of LeBron’s dreams.
To some, that roster spot would be unfair and that’s why so much focus this week has been on James compared to top prospects like Purdue’s Zach Eddy or UConn’s Stephon Cassel.
Even James’s measurements became a topic of discussion, with the USC freshman registering 6-foot-1 1/2 and 210 pounds, which was small for a pro guard.
James’s USC page actually lists him at 6-foot-4, which is a significant difference.
Bronny James: NBA Draft Combine,Woj & Bobby Marks
He also recorded a maximum vertical jump of 40.5 inches, equal to sixth best among all participants.
Perhaps the biggest positive for James came in his shooting performance on Tuesday in Chicago, one of the best outings against him.
James averaged 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting and 26.7 percent from deep with the Trojans, which isn’t great and in no way says “NBA Draft ready!”
However, according to ESPN, James shot 19 of 25 on 3-point shooting drills, which ranked second. According to Bleacher Report, he went 1:15 in moving drills without missing a single shot.
“Bronny James also made a lot of shots in movement shooting drills,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony posted on the X. “Strong performance for him on first day of NBA Draft Combine.”
No matter how he performs, the reality is that how Bronny performs at the Combine won’t have much of an impact on his draft position.
Any team drafting him knows it will only help his standing with his father, who has a team option with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season.
