All of the chatter coming out of the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Illinois, this week is focused on Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James. Less than one year ago, James went into cardiac arrest during a basketball workout ahead of his freshman year at USC. As a result, he did not see a whole lot of time on the court, and his chances of being a worthy selection in the 2024 NBA Draft plummeted. Now, after displaying what he could do in front of scouts, executives, and league personnel at the combine, Bronny may just be the most intriguing draft prospect that teams want more information about, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both LeBron and Lakers executive Rob Pelinka were on hand to watch Bronny play in Wednesday's scrimmage at the NBA Draft Combine, a game in which he recorded 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including two made triples. This was Bronny's best performance at the combine. While there are several teams wanting to bring the young James in for a pre-draft workout and interview, he has already spoken with the Lakers.
At this time, it appears as if the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft will be the draft floor for Bronny after he conducted an interview with the team in Chicago, according to Dan Wokie of the Los Angeles Times.
There is really no telling where Bronny could end up. Many around the league projected him to go undrafted ahead of the draft combine, citing that they wanted to see a more complete product at the college level first. After the week he had at the combine, displaying his defensive versatility and secondary playmaking skills, Bronny has flown up draft boards and is expected to be a sure-thing second-round prospect now. It is possible that he could continue to rise during the pre-draft process, possibly being considered by a team with a late first-round pick.
James was a standout performer at the NBA Draft Combine, which is why there is more talk centered around him than there is with the top prospects who could be going first overall to the Atlanta Hawks.
Bronny James' performance at the NBA Draft Combine
The first day of the NBA Draft Combine on Monday featured prospects having their official measurements taken. From there, they went on to compete in various agility and strength drills that tested their speed, vertical leaps, and more. The final part of the activities on Day 1 included different shooting drills.
Bronny initially measured in at 6-foot-1.5 without shoes and a 6'7.25″ wingspan. This led to some initial concerns about his overall length, seeing as James had always been listed at 6'3″. The good news for Bronny is that he was among the top half of the prospect pool at the combine in the speed drills, and he was tied for the third-best max vertical leap at the combine with a 40.5-inch jump.
In the shooting drills, Bronny was seen hitting shot after shot from the perimeter, leading scouts and executives to raise an eyebrow in anticipation of his performances in the scrimmages on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Overall, Bronny put together a really solid outing at the NBA Draft Combine. There is certainly a level of interest in him around the league, and the Lakers appear to be one of the teams that genuinely have interest in him as a player, not just because LeBron is his father. It will be interesting to see if Los Angeles can pull off LeBron's dream by pairing him with Bronny.
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