Bronny James. Bronny James. Bronny James.
With the 2024 NBA Draft looming, the name most often mentioned is the 6-foot-1 guard who averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds as primarily a bench player for a 15-18 USC team. It was a win, considering James went into cardiac arrest after a preseason workout last fall and no one knew if he’d play again.
But when it comes to his NBA potential, his play isn’t enough to excite fans. A great defender and a man of integrity? Great, but he’s projected to be a second-round pick, with his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, holding the 55th overall pick.
The NBA has chosen an interesting year to hold its annual draft over two days, with the first round taking place on Wednesday at 8pm and coverage of the second round beginning on Thursday at 4pm.
“We believe it will be beneficial for teams to be able to regroup between rounds,” NBA president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.
Probably so, but scouts are calling it the least talented draft in memory, which in turn makes it the most uninspiring and least anticipated for fans. If last year was the start of the Victor Wembanyama era, this year it’s: hmm, who the hell are these guys?
Some of them will be successful, but the collective enthusiasm for Zachary Lisacher, Alex Sarr and Matas Buzelis isn’t going to move the needle much. There are some familiar faces from the University of Connecticut and other college teams, but not many NBA players are excited about this group.
“Guys who might have been second-round picks in a normal year are going to be lottery picks,” one NBA personnel director said.
It happens.
Then there’s Bronny James, who has been the subject of a lot of pre-draft hype: the top of the draft is boring, he has a famous name, LeBron has previously said he wants to play with his oldest son before he retires, and the Lakers are involved in this draft, and they get a ton of press.
As for Bronny as a player, it’s lukewarm at best. NBA media coverage is full of favoritism for certain top agents, meaning Bronny isn’t the first prospect to be given preferential treatment. All of the potential upside is being touted. Others around the league aren’t as convinced.
“I think there are some teams that believe he’s an NBA player,” one Western Conference assistant coach said. “From what I’ve seen, he’s a kid that’s not ready yet. He’s a very good athlete, but he’s small. He doesn’t dribble well, he doesn’t shoot well.”
In fact, as a second-round pick in a bad draft, he might be worth jumping on – it’s not like the 55th pick is expected to do much anyway, especially in the first round.
Last year, it was Isaiah Wong, who played four total minutes and scored two points for Indiana, and in 2022 it was Guy Santos, who spent his rookie season in the G League.
Maybe Bronny fits that description there.
Of course, Oklahoma City acquired Aaron Wiggins in 2021, and he has appeared in 35 games and remains a rotation player. Good choice.
It seems very likely that LA will take Bronny at No. 55, but the most interesting thing will be whether another team will come forward and acquire him simply as a trade item.
I mean, has there ever been in history a player that was selected so deep in the draft been so publicly linked to one team, let alone 55th, let alone deciding the first few slots?
If Bronny isn’t selected on Thursday afternoon, wouldn’t it make sense for the Boston Celtics, at No. 54, to steal him from the Lakers and ask for a 2025 second-round pick (or a player or more picks) in return? After all, the Lakers are the only franchise with any particular reason to value him.
Maybe a second-round pick next year is better than the 55th pick in the worst draft in decades. Plus, you can annoy your nemesis. What’s the risk? This might be some kind of Curb Your Enthusiasm spite shop.
And if Bronny is worth a shot at 54th, why not 52nd or 48th or even higher? Why doesn’t every team try this?
Technically, LeBron can opt out of his contract with the Lakers next year and become a free agent. If we get Bronny, can we get LeBron? Probably not, but it might be worth a try for some franchise.
The NBA is quick to remind us that many great players come out of the second round: after all, basketball is a developmental game, and there are plenty of examples of second-round picks, undrafted players, and even players who stumbled around Europe or the G League before finally finding a role.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Of course, it was so expected that the selection was announced while a Taco Bell commercial was running on air.
Whatever happens to Bronny James, it will undoubtedly make better TV than that.
