Bronny James hadn’t played a single minute of high school basketball and he already had offers from Duke, Ohio State, Kentucky, among others. Being LeBron James’ oldest son, that comes as no surprise.
The firstborn of the James household has shown great intelligence and glimpses of his father’s genes on the basketball court. Nonetheless, he’s far from the once-in-a-lifetime kind of player LeBron clearly was at that age.
That’s why, even though James publically said that he intends to play for whichever team that drafts Bronny, not many scouts and executives around the league think he’s worthy of a first-round pick.
NBA Executives View Bronny As A Second-Round Pick At Best
“It’s also worth noting that either the NBA or National Basketball Players Association can opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement by December 15, ending the deal after the 2022-23 season instead of 2023-24,” Pinus wrote.“But even if the one-and-done rule is discarded, it may not be in time for Bronny James to join the 2023 draft class (though it’s not entirely out of the question).”
“Having polled several executives, Bronny James probably projects to be a second-round pick at this point, though it’s too early to say with any certainty,” the report added.“A team could reach for the son to lure the father.”
Bronny Wouldn’t Even Be A One-And-Done Player If He Wasn’t LeBron’s Son
Moreover, the word around the league is that Bronny shouldn’t even be a one-and-done kind of player. And even though that could change down the line, he should be in college for a little longer:
(Transcript via Marc Stein)
“There is one aspect of the recent LeBron James/Lakers saga in zero dispute: He continues to openly dream of playing alongside son Bronny in the NBA…
He won’t be eligible for the NBA until the 2024 draft and, based on my own checking with various teams, Bronny wouldn’t be a draft candidate that quickly — based on where he is as a player today — without the nudge he’s getting from Dad, who will turn 40 during the 2024-25 season. As one Eastern Conference personnel voice tried to gently put it: ‘I don’t think he’d be a one-and-done player if he wasn’t LeBron’s son.'”
There’s still a chance that Bronny breaks out and proves that he can fill his old man’s shoes. And it seems kind of cruel to just count out and pick apart a young man like that. But this is a mean business.
