USC Basketball: NBA Contender Interested in Drafting Bronny James

Is he worth burning a pick?

Dec 10, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) pushes the ball up the floor. / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Since declaring for the NBA draft while simultaneously retaining his NCAA eligibility and entering the transfer portal, USC Trojans freshman reserve combo guard Bronny James has been the talk of the NBA town — despite having something of a miserable first collegiate season.

Beyond his health troubles (a cardiac arrest in the summer delayed his debut for the Cardinal and Gold, but he was ultimately given the medical green light to continue his hoops career, thank goodness), James struggled to find much of a rhythm on a lackluster 15-18 Trojans squad that missed the NCAA Tournament this year.

The 6-foot-4 combo forward out of Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth averaged just 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per bout. Expected to be a raw offensive talent with major defensive upside, he instead struggled on both ends (though he at least looked more polished as a perimeter defender, somewhat), and seemed to be a bit more of a project than had initially been anticipated.

Regardless, it appears that several NBA clubs are still poised to make a run at burning a second round pick on James, in no small part due to his famous parentage. His father, Los Angeles Lakers All-Star combo forward LeBron James, has said in the past that he'd like to play alongside Bronny, and he does possess a $51.4 million player option this summer, meaning he could theoretically sign anywhere to play with his son, which would mark an NBA first.

However, James' current team is reportedly interested in keeping him around.

Jovan Buha, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic report that Los Angeles is considering using a second round pick to select the younger James, thereby securing his dad's services longer-term. L.A. currently has the No. 55 pick in the second round this year, and plenty of other contenders who might want to add James will have a chance to make their selections earlier. One wonders if Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka will consider trading up just to be safe even though, again, Bronny seems like he's at least a few years away from being a meaningful contributor to an NBA franchise. LeBron, 39 and the oldest player in the league, may not have quite that much time.

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