One of the more interesting stories from the NBA Draft is where former Trojans guard Bronny James will land. Despite a poor first season with the Trojans, James entered the NBA Draft and is likely going to be drafted.
The son of NBA legend LeBron James, Bronny has a larger-than-life shadow to live up to, even though he has wanted to break free from it. But it seems that he won’t be able to do that.
An anonymous NBA executive told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that interested teams may be using Bronny to potentially lure his dad to their team.
“You have to have the conversation internally, especially if you’re a team in the West because if you can improve your chances of landing LeBron, it could significantly improve your chances,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype.
This would be the worst-case scenario for Bronny, given that he needs to go to a team that values him as a player. It isn’t fair to him as a player for a team to take him just to lure his dad but rather needs to go to a team that can help him develop his game.
However, Bronny seemed to dispute this thought while at the NBA Combine.
“I feel like this is a serious business, and I don’t feel like there would be a thought of, ‘I’m just drafting this kid just because I’m going to get his dad,’” Bronny said at the NBA Draft Combine. “I don’t think a GM would really allow that. I think I’ve put in the work, and I’d get drafted because of not only the player but the person that I am.”
Whoever takes Bronny will need to be patient with him going forward and if they are, he may be able to turn into a quality player. He has the tools to make it happen but needs to be in the correct situation to fully show his potential in the league.
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