LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the midst of what has already been somewhat of a turbulent offseason for the franchise, filled with coaching speculation, free agency murmurs, trade rumors, and the like. James will turn 40 years old early on in the 2024-25 season but still figures to be playing at a high level when that time rolls around, which has put immense pressure on Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers' brass to figure out a way to maximize the final years of the game's greatest player of all time.
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Lakers this year has involved James's son Bronny James, who played college basketball at USC for one season and then put his name into both the NBA Draft and the college transfer portal, giving him some flexibility as for his future direction.
However, the latest reports are that the younger James will indeed go forth into the NBA draft, meaning that the Lakers will have a chance to select him.
Recently, ESPN released their very own mock draft, and had Los Angeles selecting Bronny James with their 55th pick in the second round of the draft, which would allow James to take his talents and join forces with his famous father, something both of them have spoken about openly over the last few years as it became more and more clear that professional basketball was in Bronny's future.
What should the Lakers do?
While James likely will be drafted in that 55th spot by the Lakers, it's unclear at this point whether that would be because they see a long term development plan for the younger James or if they are simply trying to appease his father, who essentially has the organization at his fingertips as has been the case since he joined them back in the 2018 offseason.
Bronny James does have some intriguing skills, including elite defensive potential, a smooth jump shooting ability, and natural athleticism, and some have compared him to NBA players like Davion Mitchell who function primarily as defensive weapons and can knock down the occasional jump shot when left open.
At this point, it's unlikely that James would actually spend much time seeing the floor with the Lakers themselves if he were to be drafted there, as he would instead likely be sent on assignment to the NBA G League at various points throughout the game to help continue to refine his game.
It's worth considering that the notoriously impatient Lakers fanbase will likely be clamoring for the younger James to get playing time right away despite how unrealistic that notion is, which could put some unnecessary pressure on whoever the next head coach is after the Lakers swung and missed on UConn's Dan Hurley. The current frontrunner for the job is rumored to be podcaster JJ Redick.
In any case, the Lakers will certainly have an interesting decision to make when the NBA Draft rolls around next week, with the second round, with that 55th selection in it, set to take place on Thursday.
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