Prospect Scouting Report: Bronny James – At The Hive

I had to do it.

How fitting that we use Father’s Day to talk about an NBA prospect more known for his father than his own on court ability. Bronny James left USC after a tumultuous freshman season that started with a cardiac event that threatened his basketball career and his life. He’s been cleared of whatever caused that and is now looking to join his dad LeBron James (ever heard of him) in the NBA.

Measurements

Height: 6’1.5″
Wingspan: 6’7.25″
Standing reach: 8’2.5″
Weight: 210 pounds
Standing vertical: 32″
Max vertical: 40.5″

Strengths

Athleticism, defense, feel for the game

LeBron James Jr. is a plus athlete, which is one of the least surprising things you can say about the son of arguably the most athletic player the basketball world has ever seen. He’s smaller than his listed height for most of his amateur career, but he has good length and is very explosive. Those tools combined with a good defensive motor make him a plus defender at the point of attack. He’s also a threat in transition both leading the break and finishing at the rim when he has space to attack.

Bronny is a smart player. He makes the extra pass, hits ahead in transition, and makes smart cuts in the half court. He’s not likely to be a primary option in the NBA, so his ability to do those little things will make him an east fit in any lineup.

Question Marks

Shooting ability, production, NBA viability outside of his last name

Bronny has a picturesque shooting form, but it’s never translated to good shooting numbers. He shot 26.7% from three at USC, and he wasn’t a whole lot better in high school. He shoots it confidently, pulling up in transition and shooting on the move, which suggests that he has the ability to make shots that hasn’t shown up in real games yet, but it’s a big gamble to assume that is ever going to happen.

James was just a four star recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon High School, where he was hardly a dominant force. He came off the bench for most of his USC career and finished averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from three, and 67.6% from the free throw line. He was playing with very ball dominant guards Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis, which would’ve made it harder to find a rhythm, but you still expect NBA talent to show itself more often regardless of situation. Teams will have to convince himself that he’ll be able to translate the backseat nature of his role to the next level and that he won’t be too deferential to make an impact.

Bronny is in about as unenviable position as a rising NBA prospect can be in. He’s surrounded by media hype and expectations disproportionate to his abilities because of who his dad is. His agent, Rich Paul, is making power plays by only allowing the Lakers and Suns to work Bronny out and saying that he won’t allow any team to sign Bronny to a two-way deal. That’s not how the pre-draft process typically works for guys coming off a college career in which they average fewer than five points per game. There’s a chance stuff like that goes over poorly among front offices. And LeBron James’s son is going to have a larger-than-normal target on his back for incoming rookies.

Overall Outlook

Bronny James isn’t a terrible prospect. He’s been a role player for the majority of his basketball career, so it’s somewhat easy to see how he would project to the next level. He’s a backup guard that can defend and keep the offense moving as a tertiary option. There are a lot of players like that playing important minutes for good teams. Unfortunately for Bronny, none of those other guys don’t have nearly the spotlight that Bronny does.

He’d actually be a good fit with the Hornets if we were looking at it from a pure basketball standpoint. The Hornets could use a defensive sparkplug at guard off the bench that can play a little defense. Like the inverse of Nick Smith Jr. But the Hornets aren’t in a position to take on that circus, and if there’s any team Klutch, the James family, and the national media wouldn’t want LeBron James’s son to go to, it’s the Charlotte Hornets.