Six minutes into the second half of the USC Trojans’ game against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday a dull roar emerged from the lower bowl of the Galen Center. Not because of anything that was happening on the floor. But because of who was jogging up the sidelines to check into the game.
Bronny James is seven games into one of the most scrutinized college basketball seasons in recent memory. His production, statistically, is pedestrian: 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Recently the Pac-12 Network generated a graphic featuring James and two of his teammates, Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. Under Ellis’s and Collier’s names were statistics. Under James’s name, it said “winner” and “team player.”
A slow statistical start is understandable, of course. Last summer James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, suffered a near-tragic cardiac incident. He was cleared to return to practice in late November. He played his first game in early December. Since then, he has operated under a minutes restriction that has yet to exceed 20 minutes per game.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
“He’s developing as a player,” said USC coach Andy Enfield. “It’s nice to see, nice to watch.”
Enfield is charged with James’s development. He’s also responsible for managing expectations. Ask Enfield about James at press conferences, and he stops just short of throwing a stat sheet at you to lump James in with everyone else. Enfield says Bronny “is a big part of our team.” Asked about the impact James has made off the bench, Enfield said, “We’re very comfortable with everybody coming off our bench. Especially Bronny.”
It's not that Enfield doesn’t like James. Of course, he does. What’s not to like? In recent weeks James has started to look like the four-star recruit USC celebrated signing last spring. He scored 15 points in a loss to the Oregon State Beavers on Dec. 30. He scored 10 in a win over the California Golden Bears a few days later. He didn’t make a shot in last Saturday’s win over Stanford, but he was effective enough defensively for Enfield to leave him on the floor for a full 20 minutes.
“Bronny is a very smart basketball player,” Enfield said. “He plays hard every possession. Defensively he helps us. He gets deflections, he guards the ball on smaller guys and he’s strong enough to guard bigger guys. So far so good.”
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Indeed, defense has been James’s early strength. At 19, James is already a polished defender. He’s 6'4" with a (reported) 6'8" wingspan. He’s fast. He’s quick. He’s got a high basketball IQ. Late in the first half of the win over Stanford, James stepped in front of an oncoming ballhandler to draw a charge. In the second half, he anticipated a pass in a half-court set and picked up a steal.
“He’s very active with his feet and his hands,” said Enfield. “He’s strong and he anticipates well.”
Offensively, James is a work in progress. His passing is sharp. He excels in the open floor. His shooting has been erratic—44.3% from the floor, 27.3% from three-point range—and he’s still developing confidence in his outside shot. Teammates, though, see breakthroughs coming. At first, James eased his way back into USC’s practices. Now he’s going at full speed.
“He was kind of, how do I put this, held back by what he could do and was limited by what he could do when he first got back,” said junior guard Kobe Johnson. “Now that he is getting the repetitions, going up and down with us, he is definitely coming on as the player that he is. He’s a lot more comfortable in practice. He’s playing more freely. He’s just hooping right now. He’s just trying to do everything that he can to help his team win.”
Added Ellis, “He’s a great talent. Whenever he is in the game he plays hard. We know that we are going to get that from him. It’s great to have somebody that sparks us off the bench and giving us great minutes and energy and impacting the game when he is not scoring.”
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
The minutes restriction, while necessary, can be challenging. James usually enters the game five or six minutes into each half. Depending on how many minutes he plays in the first half, Enfield will have to closely monitor James’s time on the floor in the second, sometimes sitting him for short stretches. Even that, teammates say, James has handled well.
“I think he has handled it tremendously,” Johnson said. “When he gets tired or a little winded, he asks for a sub. I think that is very unselfish. A lot of people want to stay in the game, even when they are dead tired. It’s great to have him on the floor because when he is out there he is going all out. He plays his heart out. You can’t ask for anything else.”
Looming over James’s season is the NBA. LeBron James has been vocal about his desire to share an NBA floor with Bronny. However, it remains to be seen whether Bronny is an NBA player. On X (formerly known as Twitter), Haralabos Voulgaris, a former Dallas Mavericks exec, posted, “Find me one guard his size who plays in the NBA who is not a great offensive player.” Davion Mitchell, Voulgaris conceded. Patrick Beverley is probably another. Point is, the numbers are few.
The NBA is watching Bronny. Scouts are fixtures at USC games. Collier is considered a high lottery pick. Johnson and Ellis are on draft boards. Some scouts like Bronny. All are eager to see more.
“He’s got real defensive potential,” said a longtime college scout who has watched multiple USC games. “I just don’t know what he is offensively yet.”
Added another veteran scout, “You see the tools. Does he need another year to fully develop? Probably. Would a team draft him, anyway? I’d guess yes to that, too.”
For now, James will keep working. His recovery has been remarkable. His game continues to get better. His team will look for its third straight win when USC takes on the Washington State Cougars on Wednesday night. A trip to the NCAA tournament could be a couple of months away.
And the NBA? Check back after that.
