The 2024 NBA Draft takes place at the end of the month and Bronny James is one of the most intriguing players. He didn’t have the best season at USC after returning from his cardiac arrest. Though, he showed us his strengths. He has the type of athleticism, selfless passing ability and tenacious defensive ability that we all rave about in NBA point guards. He was underwhelming during his freshman year at USC averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from 3-point range.

If it wasn’t for his name, I have a hard time believing that Bronny would be on the draft board for any team. Here we are though, so let’s dive into his strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

Athleticism – Much like his father at a young age, Bronny James brings a lot of athleticism into this year’s draft. He was measured at 6-feet-2-inches at the NBA Combine (despite being listed as 6-4 with USC) and had a strong vertical jump of 40.5 inches.

There are still some doubts that he has enough athleticism to make it in the pros. His wingspan (6’7.25″) and standing reach (8’2.5″) were impressive during the combine though.

Defense – This is probably the one thing that Bronny James has going good for him heading into the draft. His defensive tenacity is what will earn him minutes in his first season. He stays engaged both on-and-off ball as defender. He has the potential to become a menace on this end of the floor.

Basketball IQ – Bronny has been around the game his whole life, so his high basketball IQ makes sense. Whether or not, he can use that to his advantage and become a solid player at the highest level remains to be unseen.

Weaknesses:

Offense – Outside of his ability to hit deep threes, the offensive game is behind schedule for James. Sure, he’s coming off of the heart attack but his offense was still inconsistent for USC. He wasn’t able to create his own shots which led to him being a catch-and-shoot threat but even then he only shot 26.7% from deep. He did finish second at the combine in the three-point shooting drill, so we shall see.

Teams will need to be Patient – Whatever team drafts Bronny will need to be patient. He’s not going to blossom into a Superstar overnight. He has the potential, but as said before his offense is behind schedule.

NBA Comparison: Austin Rivers/Marcus Smart

His game kind of resembles Austin Rivers. A crafty shooting guard who was a bit undersized. He wasn’t the best player in the NBA by any means. However, he developed into a solid role player and stayed in the league for a while. Marcus Smart, has never been known for his offense. The defensive end is his calling card and that’s where Bronny will get minutes in his first NBA season. He’s serviceable on the offensive end and if Bronny can become that… then any team would be okay with that type of production.

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