Bronny James’s freshman season with the USC Trojans has officially come to a close, with the team bowing out in the Pac-12 tournament against the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday night.
James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, faces an uncertain future at USC. He potentially has the opportunity to forgo the remainder of his collegiate career and turn pro in order to join his father in the NBA.
Should he declare for the 2024 NBA draft rather than opt to return for his sophomore year with the Trojans, there are some front-office members who expect teams will be willing to draft him despite a lackluster freshman campaign.
One Eastern Conference executive told ESPN that they feel Bronny could get picked if there’s even a 1% chance that it would lure LeBron to their team.
“I don’t know that he’s dead set on coming out (of college),” the executive said to ESPN. “But I know some teams would consider drafting him on the hope they can sign LeBron, as well. … I think everyone is preparing for him to go in the draft, and I’m dead serious — I think a lot of teams will take the stance that they’ll draft him if there’s a 1% chance LeBron will join them.
“So, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t enter. Will he stay in? I don’t know.”
As a freshman at USC, Bronny featured in 24 games and made six starts while posting season averages of 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. James shot 37.4% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range, and although his numbers leave plenty to be desired, it seems there’s still plenty of allure surrounding him as an NBA prospect.
