USC basketball guard Bronny James had his skills measured alongside some of the nation's top athletes at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. James had a mixed showing at the event but believes he can make a great impact at the NBA level. He named three league role models who were not his father and Los Angeles star LeBron James.

James said Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Davion Mitchell are NBA players he thinks affect winning in the ways he wants to as a pro, per Dan Woike.

Bronny James may not be the most talented offensively, but like the players he mentioned, he can make a tremendous defensive impact. James only played 19.8 minutes per game but tallied 0.8 steals per game.

Moreover, the USC basketball guard excelled in two key drills that can predict a player's defensive ability. First, James participated in the pro lane agility drill with a purposeful swiftness. His quick and decisive movements displayed his standout lateral quickness.

Afterward, James performed the max vertical leap test, in which he tallied an impressive 40-and-half-inch mark. James clearly can be a top-level defender at the next level. If he wants to catch his role models though, he has a lot of work to due.

Jrue Holiday has solidified himself as one of the best defensive guards in NBA history. The 33-year-old has made the NBA All-Defensive team five times and has been cited as one of the hardest players to score against by multiple offensive threats.

Holiday's Boston Celtics teammate Derrick White is also elite defensively. White's standout efforts earned him a spot on the 2022-23 All-Defensive team.

Lastly, Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell is quickly building a reputation as a tough defender.

Bronny James has shades of the aforementioned players, but will fate see him make an NBA roster in 2024?

Could Bronny James land on the Lakers during the summer of 2024?

Bronny James has NBA blood running through his veins. LeBron James is one of the most talented basketball players in history. Some of it has to rub off on his son. Moreover, it is no secret that James would like to play in the NBA at the same time as Bronny. Could the two form an iconic duo on the Lakers?

LeBron James playing with his son would be a site to see. However, reports indicated that the aspiration is no longer a priority.

“The idea of them playing together is not a priority, it's not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James' mind. Rich Paul's goal here in the pre-draft process for Bronny James is to see if there's the right developmental system or organization, a place that can take a young player like Bronny James, who went five months without playing after his heart episode certainly limited him in his season at USC. If he does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League,” per Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski's report is fitting. Bronny James may love to play with his father, but at the end of the day, his priority is making it in the league first. James' defensive upside and capacity for offensive improvement could help him achieve his goal during the summer of 2024.