James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was drafted with the 55th overall selection in the 2024 NBA draft on Thursday after his father was unselected in the first round by the Lakers. If the pair take the court together, it will be the first time a father and son play together in NBA history.
The 6-foot-2 guard out of the University of Southern California was a major buzz topic for the draft. Although a lot of the hype may come from his last name, his game has steadily evolved over the years and has prepared him for this moment.
Yahoo Sports NBA draft analyst Kristen Peake projected that James would be taken by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th overall selection.
Peek wrote in his most recent article, “James is far from a finished product, but he proved he belonged in this draft class as a prospect at the Draft Combine, where he shot the ball well. And showed more scoring ability in the lane with his floater.” Mock draft.
Despite sharing genes with one of the greatest basketball players of all time, experts weren’t as excited about James coming into the draft as they were when his father was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2003. One reason for this is James’ tremendous freshman season at USC. The guard averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting less than 40% from the field. Combine this with a Trojans squad that underachieved, and it’s clear that James’ first and only season in college did not go as planned.
On July 25, James collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during a USC basketball practice. He was admitted to the hospital and was in stable condition before being discharged three days later. His college season was not expected to take off due to health concerns. He was not able to practice until late November before being ready to play his first collegiate game in December.
James showed glimpses of potential during the year. One of his best performances was early in the season against Oregon State when he scored 15 points.
The freshman scored in double figures only three times. For every exciting fast-break dunk that reminded fans and scouts of his basketball lineage, there came a shocking shot or decision on the court that raised questions about James’ validity as an NBA prospect.
“If his name was Joe Thomas we wouldn’t be talking about him,” an NBA executive told the New York Post. “A small combo guard who isn’t going to grow much has a great feel for how to play. “There is no one right now who is a great ballhandler, striking shooter, strong, vertical athlete and just a good defender.”
Despite the hesitation of many scouts and executives, history shows that sons of NBA players often outperform their draft positioning.
“You don’t want to rank him higher just because of his dad, so maybe you rank him lower,” an anonymous Eastern Conference GM told Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports.
Haberstroh noticed a trend in players like Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, whose father was in the league, and how they sometimes become All-Star-caliber players.
“As we talk about Bronny’s candidacy, it’s worth pointing out that the success of second-generation players like Brunson is not the exception; it’s the rule. Jalen Brunson (33rd in 2018; son of Rick), Domantas Sabonis (11th in 2016; son of Arvydas) and Stephen Curry (7th in 2009; son of Dell) exceeded expectations – Kobe Bryant (13th in 1996; son of Joe “Jellybean” Bryant), Klay Thompson (in 2011 Not to mention perennial All-Stars like ?(11th in 2015; son of Mychal) and Devin Booker (13th in 2015; son of Melvin) were not selected in the top 10.
Bronny James’ pre-draft process had some mixed messages
Many believed James would be drafted simply because his father told The Athletic in 2022 that he wanted to play in the league with his son before retiring.
“My last year will be playing with my son,” LeBron said at the time. “Wherever Bronny is, I will be there too. I would do anything to play with my son for a year. At that point it’s not about the money.”
LeBron has since walked back his comments a bit. According to his agent, Rich Paul, who is also Bronny James’ agent, the 39-year-old is “off the hook for the idea of playing with Bronny”.
“If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t,” Paul told ESPN. If that were the case, I would force them to take it at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers could draft Bronny and LeBron also isn’t going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can end this now. There are other teams that like Bronny.”
This is what Paul said publicly. In person, things could have been different. As the second round played, former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, now working as an ESPN broadcaster, said that Paul was calling teams and telling them that if they selected Bronny, He will play in Australia.
This implies that Paul had a specific destination in mind, which has now apparently been accomplished.
James finished his high school career at Sierra Canyon as a four-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American. The guard averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals in his senior year of high school.
Discover more from news2source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
