Bronny James just made his official debut in the NCAA arena (American College Basketball Tournament), when he came on as a substitute for the USC Trojans in the match against Long Beach State in the early morning of December 11 ( Vietnam time)
It was an extremely strong comeback for LeBron James, the eldest son, when he suffered a stroke that caused his heart to stop last July. Bronny James had to go through a rigorous recovery and monitoring process before being able to return to play.
On the opening day of the NCAA arena, Bronny James played a total of 16 minutes, recording 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Those are not very impressive stats, but are necessary for a return for Bronny James.
However, it is still difficult for Bronny James to get into the starting lineup of the USC Trojans this season, even when he is absolutely healthy. The USC Trojans have a stable roster with seasoned veterans in the NCAA. Therefore, it is likely that Bronny James will only play in the team’s strategic reserve role in the 2023/24 season.
In essence, this is not too bad for Bronny James. This player’s ability and stability are always a question mark, even when he has declared to attend the NBA Draft in the summer of 2024 to be ready to enter the professional arena.
In the article below, The Sporting News will provide the audience with the current strengths and weaknesses of Bronny James, as well as objective assessments of the abilities and contributions of the oldest brother LeBron James when he was young. become an NBA player.
Bronny James’ ability assessment table
The last time Bronny James appeared in a match was back in March 2023, when he played on a team of America’s best young high school talents at the McDonald’s tournament. Even though it was just a match to promote the potential of young stars, Bronny James still brought positive marks in the presence of experts.
During his high school years, Bronny James was not highly appreciated for his scoring ability. However, LeBron’s eldest son had 5/8 successful 3-point shots that day. Bronny James also had 4 assists and delivered an impressive performance in defense, his strongest point while playing in high school.
However, college basketball will be a very different environment, as Bronny James is only a freshman on the USC Trojans roster. In fact, with his abilities, Bronny James will be extremely suitable for the strategic reserve role for the defender pair Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis at the USC Trojans, depending on the role the coach assigns in each match. specific match.
Bronny James’s strengths
According to NBA statistics, Bronny James is 1m91 tall and weighs 95kg. This is a relatively small body shape compared to the average of players playing as defenders in the NCAA and the NBA. However, Bronny James is a player who can do many things, from defense, connection play, 3-point shooting and a bit of leadership in matches.
In particular, defense is the most appreciated factor of Bronny James for many years. Taking advantage of his flexible physique and good speed, Bronny James always brings difficulties to any player playing in the same position. When defending without the ball, the ability to read position and good sense of space also helps Bronny James limit the opponent’s range of movement, ready for a cover situation to steal the ball and block it.
Bronny James’s ability to choose where to fall and jump to rebound is rated at a good level. However, Bronny James becomes most dangerous in transition situations. Taking advantage of his incredible acceleration ability, Bronny James can immediately receive a pass from his teammate and launch a counterattack. Besides, a good tactical vision also helps Bronny James find more optimal solutions such as passing to teammates in empty positions.
When playing in the role of holding the ball, Bronny James can coordinate well with supporting players in basic pick-n-roll situations. With the tactical vision as mentioned, Bronny James can completely come up with different options for handling the ball, based on the opponent’s reaction after being caught by the cover wall.
Besides, Bronny James has increasingly improved his 3-point shooting ability compared to his time playing in high school. With enough space, Bronny James can bring a potential threat to the opponent’s defense.
Bronny James’s weakness
However, Bronny James still has weaknesses. In particular, stability is something that Bronny James does not have in matches. On a good day, Bronny James can score extremely well and deliver a performance that could enter the Top 10 in NBA Drafts. However, Bronny James still has many “completely disappointing” matches.
Bronny James is not a player with natural talent in scoring points, nor is he lacking the ability to independently create space for individual shooting situations. Besides, Bronny James has impressive ball control and good vision, but he lacks the suddenness needed by a high-level defender in the NCAA environment.
Not only that, Bronny James has only improved his 3-point shooting ability, while his mid-range throwing skills and rotation in the area near the basket are still a question mark. With the above skill set, Bronny James will often be targeted as a pure 3-point shooting and defensive player, a type of player who only plays a supporting role in any tactical scheme.
By only playing in a strategic reserve role and lacking time to interact with top opponents, it is likely that Bronny James will find it difficult to create a breakthrough in his playing style when the 2023/24 season ends. again.
Predict Bronny James’ selection position in the 2023 NBA Draft
The 2024 NBA Draft is a group of players with many doubts about their abilities and there is no name as completely outstanding as Victor Wembanyama in 2023. Therefore, Bronny James still has the opportunity to prove himself with NBA teams, as well as teams that focus on Bronny James’ strongest skills at the present time.
Some potential destinations for Bronny James are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, teams interested in developing pure 3-point shooting and defensive players. However, some sources say that LeBron James wants to play with his son in the 2024/25 season. This will have a significant impact on the 2024 NBA Draft.
In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers’ first round pick belongs to the New Orleans Pelicans after the Anthony Davis trade in 2019. However, the Pelicans have the right to retain this pick or take the 2025 pick. If so, is there any There is a 99% chance that the Lakers will use their 1st round pick to bring in Bronny James.
Some opinions say that Bronny James will need more time to gain experience in the NBA and should only attend the NBA Draft in 2025. However, LeBron James will turn 41 at that time and will have a significant impact. to the desire to play with Bronny James in the NBA.
Compare Bronny James to NBA players
Player compared: Derrick White
According to experts, Bronny James’s playing style is similar to many players in the NBA. However, The Sporting News evaluates Bronny James as a more potential version of Derrick White, the key defender of the Boston Celtics.
Derrick White had an unremarkable start in the NBA, being selected at No. 29 in the 2017 NBA Draft. Initially, Derrick White was only considered a normal 3-pointer and defensive player, but the Experience and time spent training himself have helped Derrick White become more perfect and take an official position in the Boston Celtics squad at the present time.
Derrick White’s playing and development process will be a testament to Bronny James, in case LeBron does not have a major breakthrough in skills from now until the summer of 2024.
