Believe it or not, Bronny James is set to be one of the main highlights in the upcoming 78 edition of the NBA draft. Given his under-par college stats, the youngster did not enter the pre-draft process, as someone guaranteed a spot with a major franchise. However, there was a significant improvement in the Combine and pre-draft workouts. In the words of LeBron James himself, “Excited, emotional, anxiety, jittery, proud, etc etc etc!!!” he said after witnessing his son’s showcase of skills. Now, an anonymous comparison while clarifying that the 19-year-old was “solid, not spectacular,” may upset King James.

Hoops Hype reported about an unnamed NBA scout sharing an opinion of Bronny. According to the write-up, knowing who the young player’s father is provides a significant advantage in his draft selection chances. After all, if LeBron will follow up on his word of playing alongside Bronny, then many NBA franchises wouldn’t mind drafting the youngster. However, if the teen decides to go with his father’s current franchise, then he is assured that Rob Pelinka and Co. will not be looking to trade him away.

“He knows how to play. He can handle the ball well enough. If you leave him alone, he’ll drill a three. He reminds me of Austin Rivers as a player, and he’s stayed in the league for over a decade,” the source quoted. If an example needed to be set about a son who can efficiently follow in his father’s footsteps, then Austin Rivers is a good one. During the 2012 NBA draft, Doc Rivers’ son was selected as the 10 pick by the Pelicans. This step was taken even though Austin did not have much prior experience.

He played 34 games during his college career at Duke and he could only secure an average score of 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Despite this, he pushed on and continues to remain a valuable member of the fraternity even today. In the 2022-23 season with the Timberwolves, he had put up an average score of 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over the course of 52 games.

The average stat of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists that Bronny James secured at USC does not speak well for him. However, by going 19-25 with his three-pointers during the shooting star drill at the NBA Combine, and then scoring 13 points in 23 minutes in the next game, the player added some additional worth to his name. NBA fans may visualize Bronny and Austin being made of the same cloth. However, if LeBron would do so, all he might imagine is receiving a bump of the basketball on his head.

Kyle Kuzma recalls LeBron James’ interaction with Austin Reavers over an ‘accident’: “this shiii was so funny”

While they seldom got a chance to work together, both LeBron James and Doc Rivers have been shown to hold a mutual level of respect toward each other. Therefore, it was anticipated that the same level of respect would be transferred when Austin became a member of the league. If there were any signs of that existing, it would have been quickly forgotten if an escalated situation from four years ago hadn’t calmed down quickly.

Back in 2020, as the entire world was looking to safeguard themselves from the effects of COVID-19, the Lakers had managed to reach the Conference Finals. During a matchup against the Houston Rockets, LeBron James drew a foul after being blocked by Rivers. As the ball bounced back to him, Rivers threw it away but it accidentally hit LeBron on the top of his head. As the Lakers star quickly turned in his rival’s direction, the youngster was quick to assure him he did not do it intentionally. The whole drama did not last 5 seconds.

However, it could’ve been very different. Some stories in the NBA world are not quick to die down, and Kyle Kuzma barely two weeks ago highlighted the same clip on his official X account and wrote, “This shiii was so funny lmfaoooo”.

LeBron James may not hold any resentment over the incident. However, we can’t know for certain. Notably, Rivers made a recent statement about Bronny, saying, “I hope for the kid (Bronny) that he can not only play in the NBA but play somewhere where he can (carve) out his own identity”.

How do you think LeBron feels about the Bronny-Austin comparison? Let us know in the comments below.