Former USC basketball guard Bronny James aspires to start his professional tenure during the summer of 2024. James entered the 2024 NBA Draft after one college season, and his Combine performance only increased his stock. Moreover, the star guard has an intriguing landing spot projection that might excite Los Angeles Clippers fans.
The 2024 NBA Draft is considered to be weaker than prior years. Yet, there are plenty of players with high ceilings who can help teams win. Bronny James is one of those players. He averaged 4.9 points and 0.8 steals during his freshman season on the talented USC basketball squad. Yet, those stats do not tell the full story.
James struggled to regain his rhythm after suffering a cardiac arrest at a USC practice in July of 2023. Thankfully, he recovered and returned to the court. Despite his subpar season, James took a chance by entering his name in the draft, and when the Combine came around, he impressed several scouts.
The 6'4″ guard excelled in the pro lane agility drill and achieved a 40-and-a-half-inch max leap vertical. In addition, he showed his defensive prowess and offensive potential during the event scrimmages, headlined by a 13-point showing in the second game.
As a result, James climbed multiple mock drafts and rankings. James is predicted to be selected with the 46th overall pick, per insight from ClutchPoints' NBA Insider Brett Siegel. The Los Angeles Clippers hold the pick. Could Bronny James stay in LA and play for his father's rival team?
Several others also project James to go in the second round. ESPN has him going 54th to the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, Tankathon has him at 55th to the Los Angeles Lakers with The Ringer predicting the same.
The mock drafts are not the only evidence of James' high potential.
Bronny James has a real chance of playing in the NBA
Scouts and executives who watched James' workouts had great things to say about him and believe he has a real chance to play in the NBA.
“The kid has potential,” one NBA executive who was granted anonymity to speak freely told ClutchPoints following James' pro day. “It's great to see him healthy, and more importantly, it's great to see him be his own player. So much has been made about him following in LeBron's footsteps, but over the last week, we've seen a young man who is a lot more mature than others in this draft. He can actually be an impactful bench player early on in his career. You can't teach athleticism and defensive instincts. Those are two major strengths we've checked off for James leading up to the draft.”
Despite the praise, James will need to prove himself as a consistent shooter. He shot just 26.7 percent on three-pointers during his freshman season at USC. Nevertheless, his stellar defensive ability and athleticism could be enough to at least give him an opportunity.
James' Draft Combine showing saw him significantly rise the Big Board of NBA talent, going from No. 90 to No. 60 overall. He knows he must work on his game but aspires to use his strengths and make an immediate impact.
“I always try to come out and play with the most effort. I try to play the right way, I play hard. And, I will always play hard, and I feel like that shows up on the defensive end,” James stated. “Yeah, I just try to focus on that and that's what will give me minutes in the long run.”
It will be interesting to see where the former USC basketball star lands amid this exciting time.
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