Bronny James drafted by Lakers: LeBron James likely to play with son as L.A. takes USC guard in 2024 NBA Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers have selected Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. James is the oldest son of NBA legend LeBron James. The two of them will now become the first father-son duo to ever play in the NBA at the same time, and if LeBron decides to return to the Lakers on either a new contract in free agency or through his player option for next season, they will be teammates next season.

That is the outcome that the James camp had seemingly been angling for all along. During ESPN’s broadcast of the second round on Thursday, Bob Myers reported that Rich Paul, agent to both father and son, was telling non-Lakers teams to not draft Bronny or that he would go to Australia. That strategy seemingly scared off the field and allowed him to land in Los Angeles.

Bronny had been among the top prospects in his class for years before ultimately electing to play college ball at USC, just down the road from where his father played for the Lakers. His lone college season was derailed when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a preseason workout. Though he recovered enough to play for the Trojans, he struggled in his lone season, averaging only 4.8 points on 36.6% shooting in a small role.

His NBA projection is not based on what happened at USC, but a combination of his pedigree and what he was able to do at the youth level. Though he has not been blessed with his father’s size or once-in-a-generation athleticism, he is a good athlete overall that plays the sort of high-IQ style you’d expect from LeBron’s son. His best trait is his point-of-attack defense, and while he is relatively small at only 6-foot-1, he is strong enough and has a long enough wingspan at 6-foot-7 to potentially guard bigger players. 

Defense can earn a player early minutes, but if Bronny is going to stick in the NBA, he needs to improve as a shooter. He is not a high-usage ball-handler like his father. His path to a successful professional career will be in the 3-and-D role, and after making only 26.7% of his long-range attempts at USC and struggling…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bronny-james-drafted-by-lakers-lebron-james-likely-to-play-with-son-as-l-a-takes-usc-guard-in-2024-nba-draft/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2024-06-27 22:18:18

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