Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, has just wrapped up his senior season at Sierra Canyon School in the San Fernando Valley, and the basketball world is awaiting what comes next.
He has reportedly received offers from multiple colleges, and he is reportedly considering committing to Ohio State University, the University of Southern California or the University of Oregon.
The younger James’ stock has risen considerably. Several months ago, he was thought to be, at best, a borderline late first-round draft pick, and some weren’t even sure he would be drafted into the NBA at all.
But a recent ESPN mock 2024 draft had him going No. 10.
On a recent episode of Tate Frazier’s podcast “One Shining Podcast,” which covers NCAA basketball, Bill Simmons praised some aspects of the younger James’ game, yet he seemed to throw shade at him by essentially calling him a ‘tweener.
Via Sports Illustrated:
“Right now, from what I’ve seen, he’s definitely athletic, he’s a very good defensive player, he seems like he’d be fun to play with, but he’s basically a 6’2″ shooting guard,” Simmons said.
Simmons also seemed to wonder if the younger James is simply a very good player who isn’t elite or outstanding in any one facet of the game that could be his ticket to success at the next level or two.
“You know at some point, if you’re at the highest, highest level, you’ve got to bring some awesome thing to the table if you’re going to be an above-average starter.”
The analyst cannot figure out what the younger James’ bread and butter is at this point of his development.
“You either have to be an incredible shooter, an incredible defender, a great athlete with length, or somebody like (Oklahoma City Thunder swingman) Josh Giddey who’s just a connector with the way he plays, and I don’t know what that’s going to be for him. … but right now he looks like a 6’2″ shooting guard.”
Although analysts and scouts may disagree on his viability and potential at this point, they can agree that everyone will want him to earn playing time in the NCAA and get drafted into the pros completely on his own merits and not at all because his father is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
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