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In about a month the 2024 edition of the Draft will take place. While the Lakers were strongly anticipated to welcome Bronny James into their ranks on this occasion, the matter could ultimately take a completely different turn.
Victim of a cardiac arrest last summer, he was still able to complete his first year on the university circuit with the USC Trojans team. First year which risks remaining like the last.
Despite performances well below observers’ high expectations, Bronny James never had to give up on his NBA dream. This should therefore indeed become reality this summer.
No Bronny James for the Lakers in the Draft?
Bronny James’ poor performances in the NCAA did not prevent him from registering his name for the next Draft.
It must be said that the presence of his father, LeBron, at the Lakers almost guaranteed him a place on the squad next year.
In any case, this is what Shams Charania suggested recently , before Dave McMenamin of ESPN delivered another story on the Rich Eisen Show :
I don’t think the Lakers will draft Bronny. They have the 17th and 55th picks. If Bronny does indeed appear in the Draft, he will not be selected around the 17th pick and will have already been selected by the 55th pick.
The real value of the 17th pick is as a potential trade asset for the Lakers, who could move three first-round picks on draft night in order to acquire a big name ready to perform.
They are targeting someone at the level of Dejounte Murray, Trae Young or Donovan Mitchell. If they had the choice, they wouldn’t use this pick to draft anyone, least of all Bronny.
And then even, if you listen to what LeBron has said for a year and a half, it’s not, “I want to play with my son”, it’s: “I want to share the court with my son in the NBA” and that can occur as adversaries.
Author of a freshman season averaging 4.8 points (36.6% shooting, 26.7% 3-point), 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in the NCAA, Bronny went from a star in the making to a player generally absent from the various mocks drafts.
But given the situation of LeBron James , whose future at the Lakers seemed to partly depend on the arrival of his son on the team, he could hope for preferential treatment.
However, the ambitions of the Angelinos on the transfer market could undermine this scenario. The 17th pick they have actually has some value, even more so juxtaposed with two future 1st-round picks.
And there is no doubt that when choosing between a prospect surrounded by doubts and a star already referenced in the league, their reflection should prove rapid and detrimental for the James family.
Was the LeBron-Bronny James association illusory? Given the Lakers’ situation, it is likely that they will ultimately decide to use their Draft choices to acquire a new star. Response on June 26 and 27.
