Whether Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, will amount to anything substantial in the NBA is an open question. But one thing is for sure: He will be an intriguing prospect who will be talked about for some time.
Even though he struggled during his freshman season at the University of Southern California, he made himself eligible for this year’s NBA draft. While he also entered the transfer portal in case he wants to stay in school, there seems to be a growing expectation he will remain in the draft.
The league’s draft combine is underway in Chicago, and the younger James was medically cleared after suffering a cardiac arrest episode last summer. While many are skeptical about whether he’s ready for the next level, some aspects of his performance at the combine are promising.
First, his vertical leap was measured at a strong 40.5 inches, which was fourth among all players.
Bronny James comes in with a 40.5-inch max vertical jump: pic.twitter.com/ETB148tV7G
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) May 13, 2024
Some have had their doubts about whether he has enough next-level athleticism to shine in the pros.
He was measured at under 6-foot-2 in height, despite being listed at 6-foot-4 with the Trojans. But his wingspan is just over 6-foot-7, which is fairly impressive for someone who is less than 6-foot-2.
Bronny James measurements at the NBA Draft Combine:
6'1.5" height without shoes
6'7.25" wingspan
8'2.5" standing reach pic.twitter.com/UfG7pnwlVl— Nick Kalinowski (@kalidrafts) May 13, 2024
A big concern about the younger James is how his outside shooting will hold up at the next level. While he made strides in that area while at Sierra Canyon School, especially during his senior season, he made just 26.7% of his 3-point attempts and 36.6% of his overall shot attempts this year with the Trojans.
But at the combine, he did very well during the 3-point star shooting drill. In fact, he finished second.
Bronny James just crushed the 3-point star shooting drill at the NBA draft combine. 19/25, good for second place. pic.twitter.com/50UVXXy3GY
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2024
He also held his own during the movement shooting drill.
Bronny James made a ton of shots in the movement shooting drill too. Strong showing for him in day one of the NBA draft combine. pic.twitter.com/1x5wogEylK
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2024
Bronny just went a full minute and 15 seconds without missing in movement shooting drill, which is also a test for conditioning, shooting when tired. Impressive stuff here pic.twitter.com/SD6p95cK07
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) May 14, 2024
While it is still unlikely he will be taken in the first round of the draft, it’s starting to look like some team will at least take a chance on him in the second round.
