Bronny James' Stock Looking Worse As Draft Nears
Not every year does the NBA create buzz over a 6-foot-1 shooting guard coming out of college who averaged less than five points per game.
Enter: Bronny James, who is the son of the face of the NBA, LeBron James. Remove that variable in Bronny James' profile, and you've got an NBA prospect destined to go undrafted or return to play college ball and boost their draft stock.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 13: Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans looks on in the first half of a first round game against the Washington Huskies during the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans defeated the Huskies 80-74. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
With LeBron James admitting that he would like to play an NBA game with his son, sharing the same court on the same team, the Lakers and other desperate NBA suitors lock in to draft Bronny, ignoring his shortcomings as a prospect.
READ: Lakers Reportedly Buying In On Bronny James As Desperate Attempt To Keep Dad LeBron James
In the past year, Bronny has overcome a turbulent path to the NBA, suffering a cardiac arrest in the 2023 offseason and leading a disappointing one-year campaign at USC.
During Bronny's season with the Trojans, LeBron James made a bold prediction that the USC freshman was good enough a player to join the Lakers immediately.
READ: Lakers Reportedly Buying In On Bronny James As Desperate Attempt To Keep Dad LeBron James
James' big talk worked against Bronny, who struggled to produce on the court against his dad's wishes.
LeBron backed off his hype months later, pivoting to blame NBA analysts for putting too high expectations on Bronny.
On Monday, a memo from Bronny James' doctor was sent to NBA teams, stating that Bronny had been medically cleared to join this year's NBA draft pool.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans looks on in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Arizona Wildcats during the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats defeated the Trojans 70-49. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Bronny's physical measurements were confirmed on Monday. James measured 3 inches shorter than his long reported height of 6-foot-4, leaving him as an undersized (6'1") player, even at the guard position.
Lakers Must Draft A 6-foot-1 Guard To Keep LeBron James
In early April, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Bronny intends to join the NBA draft, against the grumblings from people pointing out his clear path to the NBA as LeBron's son. In that same breath, most critics suggested that Bronny would be better off returning to college to improve as an individual talent, which appears to be the most sensible option for his career longevity.
Thankfully for Bronny, the NBA's most historically prestigious team already plans to draft the ‘wunderkind.'
The King has an opt-out clause in his contract for the upcoming summer. James' opt-out will be seen as leverage both for a contract extension (in the neighborhood of two years for $100 million) and to coerce LA into drafting Bronny to retain his services.
James' (negative) influence on the Lakers includes holding the team hostage with draft Bronny and now considering hiring LeBron's podcast co-host (and ex-player) J.J. Redick as the next head coach of the Lakers.
Objectively, that level of operation within the Lakers looks entirely different than the late Dr. Jerry Buss' era of winning L.A. basketball.
Unless a 6-foot-1 guard can meet the Lakers' need to size up against Western Conference contenders, going all in on Bronny makes little sense.
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 14: USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) looks on from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the men's Pac-12 Tournament between the USC Trojans and the Arizona Wildcats on March 14, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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