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There is perhaps no incoming high school freshmen in America as well known as Lebron James Jr. His highlights have been all over Instagram, his recruitment is already being covered by sites like Yahoo Sports, and his somewhat famous father has made his presence felt at each one of his son's summer games.
Despite the overwhelming potential and enormous hype surrounding Bronny James, he's not the only incoming high school freshmen making a name for himself. Let's shine a light on three players ranked ahead of him on most recruitment sites.
Mikey Williams, 6'1″ guard, San Diego, CA
While Bronny has gotten the majority of his hype due to his smooth handle and his remarkable craftiness with the ball, Mikey Williams from San Diego, CA, just might have been beat when it comes to that craftiness.
His fancy handle is not considered the best part of Williams' game, as he very well could be the Kawhi Leonard of this class. Headlined as the best athlete and best defender in this class, Williams has the capability to guard four out of five positions on the floor, making him a valuable defensive cog to any AAU team.
A hooper who learned how to play the games on the outdoor blacktops in SoCal, Williams is a teammate of James Jr. on the North Coast Blue Chips, and has already been receiving life advice from The King and has managed to get Atlanta rapper Quavo courtside at his games. With a mentor like Lebron James, the kid has a bright future ahead of him
Jayden Nicholson, 6'4″ forward, St. Louis, MO.
While Nicholson hasn't gotten quite as much social media hype as James Jr., the young man can flat out hoop. He stands at 6'4″ at only 14 years old, with all signs looking like he's got a few more growth spurts in him.
A fellow member of the Blue Chips squad, Nicholson's greatest skill comes after shots are already taken, as he is seen as head-and-shoulders the best rebounder in this class. According to therunsports, Nicholson is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in 2023 and dominates every game he plays in, making hard to exactly tell what his exact weaknesses are. It should be interesting to see how Nicholson's game matures as he continues to grow.
Elijah Fisher, 6'5″ forward, Mississauga, Canada
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Hailing from the same hometown as former Michigan standout Nik Stauskas, Fisher has been dubbed the World's Best middle school basketball player and is ranked as the No.1 prospect of the 2023 class by therunsports.com.
27 Canadian basketball players have been drafted into the NBA over the past 35 years, but Fisher's coach for his current AAU team thinks Fisher can be the best of the hoopers from the Great white north.
“Elijah could be the best player to ever come out of Canada,” said Ro Russell, Fisher’s coach at Grassroots Elite (Canada), to USAToday's Jason Jordan. “His talent transcends age. He’s one of the best players in the country right now, regardless of class.”
This past season at Crestwood Prep College in Toronto, Fisher averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and four steals as a sixth man playing against guys who are 2-4 years younger than him.
Russell has made sure that Fisher and his teammates are in the best position to succeed, bringing in everyone from a trainer to a spiritual advisor to a nutritionist to get the best out of his players, instilling good habits in Fisher.
At 6'5″ and a smidge under 190 pounds, he already possesses pro size and has proven to dunk the basketball in games in like a pro in the games he's been featured in. The scoring wing possesses a fluid jump shot and an incredibly high basketball I.Q. to make his teammates better.
Basketball fans should be on the lookout for Fisher and Bronny to have a few duels in the next few years.
