While the NBA Draft is not scheduled until mid-June, the WNBA Draft is set for Apr. 15. Among the names expected to be called on WNBA Draft night is Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark. One player who could see his name called on NBA Draft night is USC’s Bronny James. Both players have declared for their respective drafts but James has the option of returning to school still. Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley was recently asked which player he would take during a segment of his podcast, ‘The Pat Bev Podcast.’
Patrick Beverley admitted that he had not seen enough of Bronny James yet but that with a family pedigree like his, there’s no question he made the right decision to declare for the draft.
“He ain’t wrong, he ain’t wrong. I’m in the NBA and my son is in college, and I got a little power. Come on, boy, get on this motherf**kin NBA Draft,” Patrick Beverley said. “Somebody’s going to draft you. Last name motherf**kin James.”
But when asked which player he would draft first, James or Caitlin Clark, Beverley was a little more apprehensive.
“She’s a woo!” Beverley said. “And people ask me like, Pat Bev, you think her game is gonna translate to the WNBA? I say hell yes.”
Caitlin Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft
While Clark had the option of using her COVID year for one more season of college basketball, she opted not to and instead to declare for the WNBA Draft. She’s widely expected to be selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 overall pick.
Clark is coming off one of the greatest individual college basketball seasons in NCAA history. She set numerous records this season, one of which was becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in both men and women’s basketball, surpassing former LSU and NBA star ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich.
This season, she averaged 31.6 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.7 steals with splits of 45.5 percent shooting from the field, 37.8 percent shooting from the three point line and 86 percent shooting from the free throw line. While she received a lot of attention for her scoring prowess, she was arguably the best passer/playmaker in the country as well.
Behind Clark, Iowa reached the national championship game for the second consecutive year, only to fall short yet again, this time to South Carolina.
Bronny James could still return to college
In the case of Bronny James, he might not ultimately stay in the NBA Draft. James is only a freshman and has at least three more seasons of college basketball eligibility. What James is doing right now is no different than what many players do. That is, receive draft evaluation from NBA personnel while maintaining the option of returning to school.
Bronny simultaneously entered the transfer portal alongside declaring for the draft. The USC Trojans recently hired a new head coach in Eric Mussleman after Andy Enfield departed to SMU. Should Bronny return to college, it’s likely that he transfer to a different program.
James struggled a bit during his first season of college basketball, but did show flashes of his talent, especially on the defensive end. In 25 games, including six starts, Bronny averaged 4.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He shot 36.6 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from the three point line and 67.6 percent from the free throw line.
Only time will tell though as to who the better pro player will be, Bronny James or Caitlin Clark.
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