The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, possibly giving them an opportunity to draft Bronny James, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James. James, who spent his freshman season at USC, met with the Lakers during the draft combine, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
“In terms of the draft, the Lakers seem like they’ll be the draft floor for Bronny James at pick 55, a player the team conducted an interview with in Chicago, according to sources not authorized to publicly discuss draft strategy,” Woike wrote on May 16.
“James undeniably boosted his stock in Chicago with strong interviews, impressive athletic testing and strong play in a scrimmage on Wednesday, helping counteract the bad feelings after measuring 6 feet, 1 ½ inches in socks.”
The Lakers’ interest doesn’t come as a surprise with his dad on the roster and notably, James has a player option this offseason. He could become a free agent, but drafting his son would also give James another reason to stay with the Lakers.
Bronny James Not Worried About Playing With LeBron James
After James made it known for much of his long NBA career that he wanted to play with his son, he’s shifted his opinion on that matter over the past few months.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James said he’d want to play with or against him.
“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I don’t mean like [guarding one another all game], because he’s a point guard and I’m a — at this point now, I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me,” James said in January 2023, according to McMenamin. “But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal, for sure.”
His son had similar words at the draft combine, saying he wanted to put his name out there and make it himself, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself, and of course get to the NBA, which is everyone’s angle in here,” Bronny James said on May 14. “I never thought about just playing with my dad, but of course, he’s brought it up a couple times.”
Bronny James Player Comparison
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report listed five realistic NBA player comparisons for James: Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride of the New York Knicks, Gary Harris of the Orlando Magic, De’Anthony Melton of the Philadelphia 76ers and Davion Mitchell of the Sacramento Kings.
Wasserman wrote in his May 17 story that he viewed James as a defensive-minded guard who can shoot the 3, an archetype that finds success in the NBA on most occasions.
“The consensus says he’ll be a role player in the NBA at best. But there are dozens of valued guards throughout the league who aren’t focal points of their respective teams’ offense,” he wrote.
While James isn’t expected to come in and be anything like his dad, the Ohio native can still be a useful NBA player, possibly one that does end up finding success for the Lakers or another team.
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Lakers Interviewed Son of LeBron James at NBA Draft Combine: Report