WITH THE 55TH PICK IN THE 2024 NBA DRAFT, THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS SELECT BRONNY JAMES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Bronny James playing with LeBron James is epic, there’s no other way for me to describe it. Despite my obvious bias as a LeBron fan and USC alum, it’s a generational feat that should be celebrated, not ostracized. Everyone is entitled to their opinion though. Here’s mine: Bronny’s a legitimate NBA prospect and would have made the league regardless - it was a matter of when, not if (in my opinion).
His IQ, feel for the game, and positional athleticism are off the charts: the baseline of what you’d love to see from a draft hopeful. The only drawback for some is a lack of game experience and his college stats at USC. His medical scare notwitstanding, it was a trying and disjointed year for Bronny and the Trojans.
As someone who followed the team closer than most, I can tell you SC significantly underachieved and never caught a rhythm. Sometimes, a team primarily made up of underclassmen works out…other times, it doesn’t. Prior to last year, USC had 4 potential draft prospects on the roster: Bronny, consensus #1 HS prospect Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, and Kobe Johnson (younger bro. of ATL Hawks forward, Jalen Johnson). Well, because the team struggled, everyone’s stock plummeted.
Outside pundits probably thought, “How does a team with that much talent play so poorly?” and counted them all out one after the other. That’s exactly what happened, as a matter of fact. Collier went from being a Top 5 draft prospect to falling to #29 (selected by UTA), Bronny was selected as a late-second-rounder, Ellis went undrafted, and Kobe transferred to UCLA (!). I’m extremely confident Bronny, Collier, Ellis, and Kobe will all make an impact in the NBA.
In a normal season, who’s to say Bronny doesn’t play well enough to “legitimize” himself as a late-second-round prospect at worst? Despite returning from his health scare and inconsistent minutes (role), Bronny had a few impressive performances during PAC-12 play. I’m a firm believer in the camp that he would have been on the draft radar had we made the tournament.
But like Bronny and everyone else chosen (or not: undrafted stars emerge all the time) a few days ago, it’s about the journey from here on out. It just so happens that Bronny’s will begin alongside his father, one of the greatest to ever do it. Molded as an ultimate team player, Bronny’s quiet, yet confident stoicism tells me he’s ready for it all.