Bronny James is headed to USC and is moving up in his potential journey to the NBA. However, according to analysts and fans alike, his NBA dreams might have to be put on hold for at least two years.
Beyond talent, there are unique challenges facing Bronny as he enters college, namely balancing being a highly anticipated student-athlete while already being the son of one of the most famous people on earth.
“It’s knowing you’ve got the eldest son of the most famous basketball player and one of the four or five most famous athletes on the planet on your campus,” said ESPN podcaster Myron Medcalf on the ESPN Daily podcast. “How do you go to road games?”
“What are the security measures in place to make sure he’s good? How does Bronny remain a kid? How does he act like any other student-athlete and enjoy this college experience?”
Although Medcalf explains that USC is best suited to handle the challenges of having Bronny on a collegiate team, given famous children like Sasha Obama and Natalia Bryant as students, Bronny still has an expectation many hope he lives up to.
TNT’s analyst Kenny Smith doesn’t believe Bronny will be a one-and-done like most NCAA superstars end up becoming, and he also thinks that it is “improbable” that Bronny even makes the NBA.
“Seventy-five years of basketball, there’s only been 5100 players that touch a floor! So, to be waiting on your son to be one of those 5100, that doesn’t even make sense, like, he’s not waiting on his son. He’s wishing his son will make it,” Smith said on “BigBoyTV.”
Is Bronny NBA Worthy?
Regardless of how Kenny Smith feels, Bronny is a projected first-round pick, and his father, “King” LeBron James, has stated that he wants to play for whichever team Bronny lands on.
Smith’s argument is predicated on the assumption that Bronny is only garnering attention based on the idea that he might be able to play with his father in the NBA. Beyond that, on his own, maybe Bronny isn’t good enough in the huge pool of NBA hopefuls.
He has to develop at the college level to show that he has the skills to be successful at the NBA level, and currently right now Bronny might be a little too raw to come out of college early. If he does, he might run the risk of not being drafted which would be a huge disappointment.
The idea of a GM having LeBron James on his team, even for just a year, with a good team around him, might be enough to make him want to spend a draft pick on Bronny. Of course, there are plenty of factors to consider before drafting him.
Get Bronny, Add A King
Because he likely will not be a No. 1 pick in any draft he declares for, there will likely be a handful of guys who are must-haves in the draft if a team holds a lottery pick. When weighing the options of getting a future franchise star versus having one for a year without guaranteeing a ring or a team around him to win a championship, many NBA franchises will default to picking a top five or 10 pick out of the draft.
Also, if a team is picking in the top ten, it’s not just one player away from a championship but like would have a lot of retooling to do, which probably would start with choosing a future star from the draft. Some believe that Bronny can be a star in the NBA and that pairing him with his dad in his first season will help his developmental process in the NBA.
There is also the obvious point that whenever LeBron James chooses to retire, he will no doubt spend plenty of time helping his sons improve and get better at the NBA level, as he has already spent quality time training with them and showing them what it takes to be successful at the pro level.
A team should benefit more from having Bronny on a team than not, but no team will be willing to jeopardize the long-term future of their team to have one year with LeBron.
