The Los Angeles Lakers are doing their pre-draft due diligence on one of the most intriguing prospects in college basketball.
Bronny James, the son of you-know-who on the Lakers, had a workout with the team on Thursday. The NBA Draft is approaching on June 26, and the presence of LeBron on the team is something the Lakers want to ensure.
More from Deadline
One way to do that is to draft his son, whom LeBron has frequently said he wants to play with in the NBA. The Lakers have picks 17 and 55 in the draft.
Bronny James’s one college basketball season was derailed when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice. His overall statistics and playing time suffered as he got back into the flow, resulting in an underwhelming average of 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game in a part-time role on a 15-18 team.
But the bloodlines are there, and it’s worth noting Bronny James was a top high school recruit. Now that he has his sea legs, improvement is expected. Whether the Lakers reap that turnaround remains to be seen. But drafting Bronny James is one sure-fire way to keep his father on the team (he has an opt-out for the coming season.)
Bronny James fared well at the NBA Combine tryouts, and is expected to be drafted later this month.
“I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad,” Bronny said. “But, that’s not my mindset at all. I’m just trying to put in the work and see where it takes me.”
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.