USC Basketball: Bronny James Slips to 2nd Round in Updated 2024 Mock Draft

An interesting update!

Unfortunately, when Bronny James takes the court for the USC Trojans in a couple of months, the focus will not entirely be on his fit with the team or how he can help propel them as the season goes on. Everybody will be trying to assess whether or not he'll be a top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft seeing that he is the son of LeBron James and experts are not completely sold that his high rankings come from his talent alone.

Bronny suited up with some elite high school players back when he played for Sierra Canyon and the hope is that he'll fit seamlessly with the likes of Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis in the backcourt. He has not become a score-first guard just yet but when needed to, he possesses the shooting and athletic ability to take over like when he dropped 22 points in a win over Collier's Wheeler High School.

But mock drafts for 2024 are already starting to roll out and NBA scouts kept a close eye on Bronny as he finished off his career at Sierra Canyon with not as many perimeter stars as usual. We've seen them be generous to him over the past couple of months as a number of boards slated him as a first round pick, even a lottery pick at times, but Bleacher Report's updated list has him actually falling to the second round.

"James checks a coveted mix of boxes with translatable shooting and IQ for smart ball-moving and defensive anticipation. The question is whether he'll be a tough-enough creator and two-point scorer to offer more on-ball value. Regardless, there should be interest in his three-and-D package and intangibles, a combination that hints at a high floor. Given his consistent development at Sierra Canyon and his play at All-Star events, this year's bright spotlight doesn't seem likely to negatively affect him."

(Via Bleacher Report)

I do think that these are fair criticisms for the 18-year-old guard and his draft stock this season will depend on how he's able to take advantage of minutes where he is the primary ball-handler versus just playing off ball