Where could Bronny James be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft?
Though the 2023 NBA Draft only recently concluded, projections have already begun for next year’s draft, which as we all know will likely feature Bronny James.
It might seem too early to be thinking about the 2024 NBA Draft, but when one considers the fact that Bronny James is the son of the NBA all-time scoring leader, LeBron James, the anticipation is completely understandable. That’s of course before we even consider the fact that he’s actually a very good player.
The 2024 NBA Draft Class
Unlike this year’s selection of young stars, the 2024 NBA Draft won’t see a clear favorite for the top spot like Victor Wembanyama. Indeed, there is a wide range of players who could potentially be selected as the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s Draft. For starters, there are G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, both of whom have been projected as potential No. 1 picks. Of course, if either of them is actually given the honor, it will come as somewhat of a surprise with college basketball’s top prospect generally considered to be USC point guard, Isaiah Collier. Interestingly, Collier isn’t actually the most famous prospect that the Trojans have on their roster. That title belongs to newly committed guard, Bronny James, son of NBA icon and Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James. To be clear, James is projected as a lottery pick.
Where the other notable candidates are concerned, it’s interesting to see that the 2024 draft is expected to feature more returning college players than this most recent one. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, UConn’s Donovan Clingan, and Texas’ Dillon Mitchell are three sophomores with lottery potential. Then we’ve also got yet another group of very talented international players led by yet another Frenchman, Zaccaharie Rsacher. As for James, specifically, it’s got to be said that he’s had to develop in rather harsh circumstances with his father being who he is. That’s not to say he hasn’t shown considerable growth across his four years at Sierra Canyon, however, to call him an elite prospect might be a stretch at this time. It’s clear that he’s got a great skill set as a guard being athletic, laterally quick, and dogged on defense, but his lack of size does bring things down a notch. Still, one can see the foundation is there. The question is can he build on it?
So, where does Bronny James go?
To be fair it’s hard to say, but if we go with ESPN’s most recent mock 2024 NBA Draft, they’ve got the Atlanta Hawks selecting Bronny James with the 17th overall pick (via the Sacramento Kings) in next year’s Draft. For context, we should mention that their previous mock Draft actually had Bronny projected to be part of the NBA lottery, however, here we are. Now, it’s also worth remembering that for quite some time, LeBron James has maintained that he intends to play with his son. As you can already imagine, there are a whole host of teams that would almost certainly take a chance on the younger James if it means his father will join as them.
Regardless, what we can say is that with his attributes, Bronny James will likely blossom alongside a player like the aforementioned top prospect, Isaiah Collier, who is about to be his teammate at USC. Should reports prove to be true and James spends just one year with the Trojans before declaring for the Draft, we’re betting his value will have shifted greatly by then. That’s to say that he may yet turn into the lottery player that some folks project he will be. As always, watch this space.