By far the most polarizing prospect in this year’s NBA draft class is Bronny James. As the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, he is having to deal with high expectations, not to mention plenty of pressure.
At last week’s draft combine, he showed encouraging signs, as well as some concerning ones. He didn’t really stand out during two scrimmages, but he registered a robust 40 1/2-inch vertical leap.
Still, there is a growing feeling he will be selected in the draft and that the Lakers may not be the only team interested in him. Some also believe he could actually become a viable NBA player and not merely live off of his last name.
One NBA executive pointed out how the younger James’ cardiac arrest episode last summer means that people need to look past the meager numbers he put up this season as a freshman at the University of Southern California.
Via Bleacher Report:
“You try playing collegiate hoops after what was basically a heart attack,” the executive said. “Him just being on the court is impressive. We need to look at what we think he’ll be, not what he was at USC.”
The 19-year-old spent time last summer getting a battery of medical tests, including some at the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which many medical experts consider the best hospital and medical center in the nation. It was eventually determined that a treatable congenital heart defect caused his cardiac arrest episode.
He averaged just 4.8 points in 19.4 minutes while shooting 36.6% overall and 26.7% from 3-point range in 25 games for a mediocre Trojans squad.