NBA Draft: Bronny James’ Rank Revealed After Combine; Pick Belongs to Lakers’ Biggest Rivals

After Bronny James entered his name into this year’s NBA draft, many questioned his decision and wondered if the teenager was ready to go pro just yet. Following his rather underwhelming freshman year at USC, where he averaged a little less than five points on a mediocre team, Bronny left the analysts full of doubt. But, with his impressive performance at the draft combine in Chicago, Bronny might have changed some people’s opinion about his legitimacy in the draft, especially the scouts looking for top talent. And deeming this week as a positive one for Bronny, veteran draft analyst Jonathan Givony revealed the new draft projections for LeBron James’ older son.

Shedding more light on Bronny’s possible future in the NBA, Givony revealed where his team thinks the USC star could land in the draft, “He’s moved into the late second round of our latest projections.” More specifically, the ESPN analyst predicted that Bronny is likely to be drafted number 54, a pick that belongs to the Lakers’ biggest rivals, the Boston Celtics. Although getting picked toward the end of the draft might not be the most ideal situation for LeBron’s son, it is far better than ESPN projecting earlier this year that he would go undrafted.

Despite measuring nearly three inches less than his usual listed height of six-foot-four, Bronny had an amazing showing in Chicago. Recording an over forty-inch maximum vertical jump and finishing second in multiple three-point shooting drills, while also showing great agility in other drills, Bronny showed that he could be a great three-and-D guy for several NBA teams. While it has been rumored that Bronny is likely to get drafted by the Lakers at number seventeen, if he does end up going to Boston instead, it could be a huge turning point for him. Already a well-built team frequently competing for the title with several veteran leaders, Bronny could learn a lot in his initial years in Boston and also not have the added pressure of playing with his father.

What are the scouts saying about Bronny James?

While Givony’s update about Bronny was on the positive side, veteran analyst Marc J. Spears has not been hearing many good things about Bronny’s NBA future from the scouts. Before his combined performance, Marc talked to two NBA scouts, who both stated that they would not draft the USC star. However, after watching Bronny’s versatile skill set in Chicago, the same scouts did see an upside in Bronny’s game but were still hesitant to put him on an NBA team so soon.

Revealing the two scouts’ thoughts, Spears revealed that the first one said, “I still don’t think he’s ready but he did some good things.” Because of his small stature, Bronny will have to be elite on defense to be productive in the NBA. With that, the scout also made a bold claim that if the Lakers do not draft Bronny, no other team will as well.

Meanwhile, the second scout shared a similar opinion, “He is not an NBA prospect in my opinion.” Calling him a poor man’s Davion Mitchell, the scout believed despite Bronny having the size and skill set of a point guard, he could not run the offense. With less than two weeks remaining for Bronny to decide whether he wants to stay in college or continue with the draft, the polarizing opinions might have put him in more confusion about the final decision. What do you think Bronny James should do?