2024 NBA Draft
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Guys that size make the NBA (and even get drafted in the 1st round) all the time. Would have have been the #1 overall pick? Maybe not, but there has been a couple of guys (Iverson, Kyrie, Rose) that went first overall in the last 30 years despite measuring 6'2 or less.
considering guys shorter than that make All-NBA... yes?
These are all guys that short or shorter: Brunson, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell,
And that's just the stars, plenty of others who are solid players... Monte Morris, Sexton, McBride, Graham, Tyus Jones, McConnell, Rozier, Schroeder, Curry,
guys either 0.25 inches or 0.5 inches taller.... Lillard, Smart, Payton II, Fox, Quickley,
He's in an interesting spot. His wingspan/reach is better than the really little guys like Brunson and Trae, not quite with the freaks like Smart though. Weight is way higher than everyone but Smart.
Actually his best comp is probably.... Mitchell? Mitchell has him beat on wingspan, Bronny has better standing reach, both around the same height/weight.
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I was thinking who LeBron could be at that size and the upside comp that came to me was Jason Kidd. So … I agree, he still could have been really good.
For Bronny’s NBA hopes, tho: not great.
For Bronny’s NBA hopes, tho: not great.
Wow, yeah, that's really a blow to Bronny's chances...wasn't he listed more like 6-4? Big difference.
Don't know much about the value of the NBA combine, but my feed is full of stuff talking about how Devin Carter from PC absolutely lit it up today. A couple of combine records (3/4 sprint, agility) and was tops in a few others.
yeah he was basically listed with shoes (and maybe rounded up), not that uncommon, Mitchell was listed at 6'3" or 6'4" in college too.
Bronny apparently having a good combine. Of course it's in ESPN's interest that he does, so maybe grain of salt.
Bronny James, PG, USC: With dozens of cameras tracking his every move, James had an overwhelmingly positive first day in Chicago, showing he more than deserves to be in attendance. He is in excellent shape, clearly having put on some good bulk from the end of the season. James tested extremely well athletically, with a 40.5-inch inch vertical leap that placed him fourth highest among combine participants, a 32-inch no step vertical (top-10ish mark), a 3.02 second time in the shuttle run drill, 3.09 seconds in the three-quarter court sprint, and 10.96 seconds in the pro lane agility drill -- all solid marks relative to his peers. More impressive was how well he shot in drills, demonstrating a clean, compact stroke and outstanding accuracy in the 3-point star shooting drills (19-for-25, second best behind UConn's Alex Karaban) as well as the off-movement 3-point shooting drill, hitting 77% of his attempts in the side-mid-side pull-up shooting drill.
While he looked bouncy in the transition drills, he showed some of his limitations as a ball handler and playmaker in the half-court pick-and-roll live action competition, where he was unlucky to run into one of the best defenders in college basketball in Providence's Carter, as well as some extremely mobile big men (such as Arizona's Keshad Johnson, who had an outstanding day in his own right) who were making life miserable on opponents every play. This was a positive day for James, who looks to be in outstanding shape and has quite a bit to gain in the 5-on-5 scrimmaging Tuesday and Wednesday. -- Givony
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40145332/2024-nba-draft-combine-prospects-workout-highlights-measurements-stats-more
Bronny James, PG, USC: With dozens of cameras tracking his every move, James had an overwhelmingly positive first day in Chicago, showing he more than deserves to be in attendance. He is in excellent shape, clearly having put on some good bulk from the end of the season. James tested extremely well athletically, with a 40.5-inch inch vertical leap that placed him fourth highest among combine participants, a 32-inch no step vertical (top-10ish mark), a 3.02 second time in the shuttle run drill, 3.09 seconds in the three-quarter court sprint, and 10.96 seconds in the pro lane agility drill -- all solid marks relative to his peers. More impressive was how well he shot in drills, demonstrating a clean, compact stroke and outstanding accuracy in the 3-point star shooting drills (19-for-25, second best behind UConn's Alex Karaban) as well as the off-movement 3-point shooting drill, hitting 77% of his attempts in the side-mid-side pull-up shooting drill.
While he looked bouncy in the transition drills, he showed some of his limitations as a ball handler and playmaker in the half-court pick-and-roll live action competition, where he was unlucky to run into one of the best defenders in college basketball in Providence's Carter, as well as some extremely mobile big men (such as Arizona's Keshad Johnson, who had an outstanding day in his own right) who were making life miserable on opponents every play. This was a positive day for James, who looks to be in outstanding shape and has quite a bit to gain in the 5-on-5 scrimmaging Tuesday and Wednesday. -- Givony
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40145332/2024-nba-draft-combine-prospects-workout-highlights-measurements-stats-more
Givony is one of the best in the business he;s not going to pump up Bronny for clicks.
That reads about how you'd expect though, he's a very good athlete but short and not freakish on wingspan, his rep has always been that he's a good shooter, but he's also not a PG (a problem given his size) so PnR isn't going to be a top hit for him.
The somewhat ironic evaluation on Bronny has always been that he doesn’t really know how to play basketball.
His athelticism has always been underrated if anything, and the combine is going to show off what he’s good at. Doing drills and running/jumping around.
When he gets on the court, the overall product has been less than the sum of its parts. Was that way in high school and in college. Hence the skepticism on him being a PG, running PnR, etc.
Looks like a low BBiQ AAU guy, I guess watching lots of high end basketball doesn’t just sink in by osmosis.
Being under 6’2” was always a known thing but getting confirmation also isn’t going to help matters for him.
Bingo on all counts. I was about to post same…..but I read thread first.
Wait really? I’ve watched more Bronny than I’ve watched HS basketball since I was in HS….and my takeaway is that his BBIQ is one of his greatest strengths as being a step ahead of everyone else on the floor. His defense, athleticism and IQ is what I’ve always felt would eventually make him a solid 3-and-D rotation guy at the next level.
Kind of reminds me of 2010 Avery Bradley, no? Similar size and athletic profile, I think. And Bradley made Jaylen Brown look like Isiah Thomas.
He should be shooting 1000 corner 3’s a day and really honing his defensive skills. That’s the ticket. Ideally would be playing with a taller playmaking PG.
Its when we learned that Dragan Bender had a shorter vertical leap than many of us had in high school
I haven’t seen that evaluation anywhere. In fact, everything I’ve seen about Bronny mentions his high BBIQ and how he’s great at the little things. Jonathan Givony specifically has compared him to Marcus Smart, talking about how he knows what to do on the court and how to win
Some people want to give him intangible skills because the on-court tangible product has been underwhelming (plus his Dad is a Savant).
He actually got his Dad's uber-athlete gene (not quite as good, though surprisingly close). But he's short, can't see the floor, is a below average passer, is a step slow reacting in game situations, and in general has no feel for basketball.
Maybe it'll come with time, but at the moment he is much better in combine situations than he is at actually playing team basketball. That's not like any sort of high BBiQ player I have heard about.
I've seen this comp also and think it's a pretty good upside.
Bradley had probably proven he was going to be good on D more than Bronny at this stage, but the same type of raw athlete, no handle, undersized SG with good wingspan, low BBiQ, definitely not a PG type of prospect.
Strong disagree on his BBiQ.Bingo on all counts. I was about to post same…..but I read thread first.
Wait really? I’ve watched more Bronny than I’ve watched HS basketball since I was in HS….and my takeaway is that his BBIQ is one of his greatest strengths as being a step ahead of everyone else on the floor. His defense, athleticism and IQ is what I’ve always felt would eventually make him a solid 3-and-D rotation guy at the next level.
People want him to be smart and savvy out there but he just isn't. At least not yet. He would have been far better in high school and college with his athletic skillset if he knew what he was doing out there. What kind of high BBiQ really good athlete has already been pigeonholed into a 3 and D guy at age 18?
He had terrible stats at USC (and was underwhelming at Sierra Canyon too) because he doesn't have a good feel for the game. He might make a highlight pass, dunk, or steal here and there. But his general game is based on being athletic, shooting some 3s, and generally not knowing what he is doing out there (like the good Avery Bradley upside comp). I don't think anyone confused 19 year old deer-in-the-headlights Avery with being a basketball savant.
I mean I don’t usually disagree with you but I disagree with almost every word of this. I’m not concerned with his stats on a disfunctional team as a freshman who missed the entire preseason with a heart attack. I trust what I saw of him prior to last year with his defensive instincts and understanding on that end of the floor while playing within himself offensively knowing his limitations.
I guess we will see
What do you think of the Avery Bradley comp?
I've seen a lot of talk about "playing within his offensive limitations" as somehow indicative of his basketball IQ. I mean.... he barely accomplishes anything on offense. I guess that is playing within his limitations? He averaged 13.8 PPG, 5.7 reb, and 2.7 assists as a high school senior (looks like my senior year stat line!).
I saw him play a pretty decent amount in high school and more often than not he just sort of faded into the background and was underwhelming unless he got the chance for a highlight dunk. Sierra Canyon had some good players but they weren't an All-Star squad, especially that year. They went 23-11 his senior season. They certainly could have used a 6'2" elite athlete with a high basketball IQ on their squad, unfortunately they didn't have one.
A player with his athleticism and supposed basketball IQ should be doing positive winning things on the court far more often than he does. At this point, he's a good athlete that looks good in a combine setting. If he plays his cards right, he might turn into Avery Bradley (a pretty good outcome all things considered, for the record).
Poor man’s Avery Bradley is a good comp. Bradley was the #1 guy in his class by at least one publication coming out of HS though…..Bronny was never that guy.I guess we will see
What do you think of the Avery Bradley comp?
I've seen a lot of talk about "playing within his offensive limitations" as somehow indicative of his basketball IQ. I mean.... he barely accomplishes anything on offense. I guess that is playing within his limitations? He averaged 13.8 PPG, 5.7 reb, and 2.7 assists as a high school senior (looks like my senior year stat line!).
I saw him play a pretty decent amount in high school and more often than not he just sort of faded into the background and was underwhelming unless he got the chance for a highlight dunk. Sierra Canyon had some good players but they weren't an All-Star squad, especially that year. They went 23-11 his senior season. They certainly could have used a 6'2" elite athlete with a high basketball IQ on their squad, unfortunately they didn't have one.
A player with his athleticism and supposed basketball IQ should be doing positive winning things on the court far more often than he does. At this point, he's a good athlete that looks good in a combine setting. If he plays his cards right, he might turn into Avery Bradley (a pretty good outcome all things considered, for the record).
Sierra Canyon “had some good players?” Their entire starting lineup and one of their bench guys played D-1 last year or will play D-1 this year….they were loaded. 23-11 came against the best teams from all over the country traveling for those ESPN games. They didn’t go 23-11 against North Attleboro and Fitchburg High.
Was Bradley a high BBiQ player? I feel like there is some disconnect with that comp for anyone claiming Bronny is high BBiQ player.
Also, FWIW, Sierra Canyon went 26-5 the year after Bronny left. Bronny's senior year was their worst season in many years (since at least 2014). And they have been playing high level competition for many years, pre Bronny.
Sierra Canyon had some good players but certainly not so good that it was stifling his ability to produce at the high school level. Despite being a really good athlete, he just wasn't very good. If he's such a good athlete and is also a step ahead of everyone on the court mentally....why was he not much better than he played?
People have tried to make excuses for him, but if his name was James Smith, no one would be confusing him with a savvy, high iQ player. They would be telling him to run, defend, dunk, and make his corner 3s (just like theyre doing!). But that's not what you tell a high level athlete who's mental game is also somehow a major strength.
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Yeah I felt Avery had a great feel for the game especially defensively but was mostly referring to their similarities as undersized 2-guards with elite pressure defense.
I’m not making any excuses. He wasn’t scoring 20+ a game the same way that his D-1 teammates weren’t…..there is only one ball and his game isn’t predicated on being a high scorer. Bronny was a super HS player on a super team that lost 11 games while traveling all over the country all winter playing the top teams in the country on ESPN. They never played that level of comp pre or post-Bronny.
I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on Sierra Canyon basketball, but the school has been a national recognized team for awhile (and still is).
Their worst season in the National and California rankings in a decade was Bronny's senior year. If he had the capability of being a more productive high school player, I am quite sure the team would have welcomed that with open arms. It just didn't happen for him. Same thing happened at USC (though should probably give some benefit of the doubt for the cardiac issues).
I actually think it would be cool if Bronny turned out to be good, but I just didn't see anything mentally to suggest that's a strength of his game. I saw a really good undersized athlete that underachieved in team basketball compared to his "combine talent level". He might be able to stick in the NBA if he can shoot 3s and defend at a high level, but the jury is still out on those 2 things also.
Their worst season in the National and California rankings in a decade was Bronny's senior year. If he had the capability of being a more productive high school player, I am quite sure the team would have welcomed that with open arms. It just didn't happen for him. Same thing happened at USC (though should probably give some benefit of the doubt for the cardiac issues).
I actually think it would be cool if Bronny turned out to be good, but I just didn't see anything mentally to suggest that's a strength of his game. I saw a really good undersized athlete that underachieved in team basketball compared to his "combine talent level". He might be able to stick in the NBA if he can shoot 3s and defend at a high level, but the jury is still out on those 2 things also.
This is all I'm saying. That's probably his upside, should be able to do the latter very well if what we've seen is his baseline and the shooting is simply work and reps so he has a higher probability than many to stick around in this league for awhile. I wonder how people would feel if he had a PJ Tucker or Austin Rivers-like career. Those who dislike the James family (not referring to yourself) will laugh and say I told you the only reason he was here was due to Dad, while the others will see a 2nd round pick carve out a long career. It's all about the expectations. In the land of "high upside" and projections if this players name was Jonathan Mandeville he'd be considered a safe 2nd rounder who should be able fill a role on a team in a couple years....but bc his name is James they expect something out of him that this player isn't.
Agree with all of that. Any role-playing NBA career would be a pretty great outcome for Bronny (or nearly every NBA prospect). He does have the athleticism and basic basketball skillset that it's at least a reasonable possibility.
As an aside, Rivers is another pedigree player that I wouldn't say had a particularly high BBiQ (though he was far more productive in his year at Duke than James was on a very bad USC team).
Pretty interesting speculative article on The Athletic about LeBron being at the Cavs game on Monday and whether the James family could be playing in Cleveland next year:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5491804/2024/05/14/lebron-james-donovan-mitchell-cavaliers-future/?source=thebounce_newsletter&campaign=9826669&userId=4443839
A lot of hoops to jump through before that would be a possibility, but it certainly would make for a fascinating opponent for the Celtics in the East.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5491804/2024/05/14/lebron-james-donovan-mitchell-cavaliers-future/?source=thebounce_newsletter&campaign=9826669&userId=4443839
A lot of hoops to jump through before that would be a possibility, but it certainly would make for a fascinating opponent for the Celtics in the East.
LeBron built his dream house in Beverly Hills and would have to want to return to Cleveland for the winters. I dunno, I’d chalk this up to him spending time in Akron area that coincided with a Cavs game that he could attend and/or show Donovan some Klutch love.
Yeah, with Austin’s IQ Doc may want to try a DNA test to see if Cliff Levingston is the real father.
He had the cardiac issues and he committed to a team whose best players were all 6'6 and under guards (the #1 recruit Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson) so it was harder for him to come back from those issues and actually make an impact on the lineup. It seems like he may have inherited his dad's GM skills more than any actual talent deficiency in college.
EDIT: There's no comparison to Bronny and Rivers. Rivers had the better recruiting rankings and more hype...he also had no idea how to play off ball and thought he was a primary option the first handful of years in the pros. He was a chucker and didn't develop any of the actual skills needed for him to succeed in the NBA.
There are plenty of examples of guys who do next to nothing as freshman in college who get drafted in the late first or early second who have gone on to have semi-productive NBA careers. 19 year olds are so young that GMs will look at a lot more than just their raw stats
I think that’s likely right. But how many more years does he play, 1-3 max? Playing near family, with his kid, on a team that might bring another championship to Ohio with that roster? I’d keep my eye on it at least.
Jimmy Butler sat the bench as a college freshman.
Derrick White was playing D-2.
Duncan Robinston was playing D-3.
Won't even get into the Euro's.
Scouts and GM's deep dive now more than ever looking to beat their competition in finding these value guys before anyone else. The thing with Bronny is that unlike anyone else I can think of he is in the spotlight despite not putting up numbers as a freshman. He looks like he'll be a very good 3-pt shooter once the NBA game slows down for him we just don't know when, or if, that will take place.
Yeah no doubt. He wants to play with his kid....but his kid probably doesn't want to play with him...and he wants a chance at another ring. We are only guessing as to where he places living in his mansion in the winters on this priority list. Or, like many of us in our own lives, he is unsure what his list really looks like and is still deciding.
Yeah, Bronny's Freshman year isn't bad at all by Freshman standards, TONs of NBA players have Freshman years that bad or worse... just a smaller percentage of them jumped to the league after 1 year.
I think he's coming out no matter what. He wants to play professionally, he'll get drafted at some point. And it's not like money or attention is any concern for him. If he's playing in the G-League next year on a two-way even... that's probably a better opportunity to improve his skills than he'd get in College.
He's not just in the spotlight (which he can't control), he's declared for the draft (which he can control). Jimmy declared for the draft 4 years after graduating high school, White declared for the draft 5 years after graduating high school, Robinson declared for the draft 5 years after graduating high school, and here's Bronny declaring for the draft just one year after graduating high school. If it wasn't for his name, I don't think anyone in the world would even bother telling him what a bad decision this is.
But.... is it a bad decision? The normal reasons for not declaring don't really apply to Bronny. He doesn't care about maximizing his first contract earnings, he doesn't care about NIL money by staying in school. He's a good enough prospect that he'll get drafted somewhere (even without his name) and NBA/G-League coaching is just straight up better than College, rules let you dedicate full time to your craft, you get to play against grown men, and you play more often.
I think that the G League plays about the same number of games as a college schedule, but agreed on the rest of it. Unlike some guys, waiting a year to maybe sneak into the lottery and get more cash really isn't something that he needs to think about.
I don’t really agree with this in todays economy with 15-man rosters and him almost guaranteed to occupy one of them even if he goes Undrafted which I don’t think he will. The college game doesn’t always do a good job in preparing a kid for an NBA career. He’s going to be in an NBA environment, which he’s likely pretty comfortable with already having grown up as he did. I’ve said in the past that his game is better suited for the NBA as a 3-and-D guy than he would in a college system.
From what I have heard (mostly podcasts so take it for what it's worth), LBJ has a ton of business interests in LA (particularly film or film-adjacent) so being in LA is very important to him. Most commentators think it's more important than actually winning another championship but who really knows?
Agreed on all points here. It's truly up to him in this case. If he enjoyed the college environment he could have stayed a year but if he's all about basketball then the G League is probably better for his development
I think it’s far more likely that LeBron talks Mitchell into playing hardball to come to the Lakers than LeBron is to return to Cleveland. His post-NBA career, both in the entertainment industry and possibly owning a Vegas team, will keep him in the west.
Also, one of the significant upsides for celebrities in L.A. is that they have other celebs to hang with — and they’re not always the center of attention everywhere they go.
Also, one of the significant upsides for celebrities in L.A. is that they have other celebs to hang with — and they’re not always the center of attention everywhere they go.
Also a real chance that if he returned to USC for another year and played like complete shit, that he wouldn't get drafted at all. Definitely makes sense for some dudes to not bet on themself and take the chance when it is there
I'd take him at 30 (although my guess is that Brad trades back into the 2nd round in the 35-40 range where Bronny would be more appropriate)
No chance of it happening, but...
San Antonio trades one of its picks to Atlanta for Trae Young. Draft Bronnie in the 2nd and LeBron signs. LeBron gets to mentor Wemby and Bronnie gets an education from the greatest coach of the last 50 years.
San Antonio trades one of its picks to Atlanta for Trae Young. Draft Bronnie in the 2nd and LeBron signs. LeBron gets to mentor Wemby and Bronnie gets an education from the greatest coach of the last 50 years.