Bronny James has compared his game to that of defensive stalwarts Jrue Holiday and Derrick White of the Boston Celtics and Davion Mitchell of the Sacramento Kings.
Bleacher Report’s NBA draft analyst, Jonathan Wasserman, added one more active NBA player to the list, saying Bronny James has a comparable ceiling.
“Watching Deuce McBride, I can’t help but think that’s the best comp or realistic solid-case outcome for Bronny James,” Wasserman posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the New York Knicks took a 3-2 series lead against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, May 14.
Miles McBride was a second-round pick in 2021 who mostly played in the G League in his first two seasons before becoming a solid rotation player for the Knicks.
The oldest son of LeBron James could go that route as well if he stayed in the NBA draft to develop his body and game for the pros. Like McBride, Bronny James is also an undersized guard who prides himself on his pesky defense.
Both players’ official measurement at the NBA Draft Combine was 6-foot-1 without shoes on.
McBride was a decorated two-way player at West Virginia who returned for his sophomore year to gain more reps and confidence. On the other hand, Bronny James had a lackluster freshman season at USC after overcoming a cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023.
Bronny James has until May 29 to decide whether to stay in the draft or return to college.
But Wasserman noted both guards have pull-up jumpers as the foundation of their offense and the desire to be pesky on defense.
Bronny only played one year, after a heart health scare, and shot 44% on pull-ups
Bronny James’ NBA Draft Combine Debut
After James shot an impressive 19-of-25 in a combine 3-point drill, including hitting 12 in a row, he could not keep up that rate in a game situation.
James missed all of his four 3-point attempts in his first combine scrimmage, settling for 2-of-8 in overall shooting. But he found ways to impact the game, especially on the defensive end. He logged 2 steals to add to his 4 points and 4 rebounds, helping St. Andrews notch an 89-81 win over Forehan-Kelly.
St. Andrews outscored Forehan-Kelly by four points in Bronny James’ 19 minutes.
After the game, James said he did not prioritize playing on the same NBA team as his father.
“I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad,” James told reporters on May 14. “That’s not my mindset or not at all. I’m just trying to put in the work and see where it takes me from there.”
James said he wanted to step out of his father’s shadow.
“Bronny was just a nickname that I was just given when I was younger,” James added. “But everything that follows my dad, people just try to link me with that and all the greatness that he’s achieved. I haven’t done anything yet, so I feel like there needs to be that divide between Bronny and LeBron.”
Miles McBride Solid in First NBA Playoff Start
After a 121-89 loss in Game 4 in Indiana, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau adjusted by going small.
Thibodeau boldly gave McBride his first career start in the NBA Playoffs. The gambit paid off as the Knicks returned the favor with a 121-91 Game 5 victory and moved one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
McBride hounded Tyrese Haliburton on defense and scored 17 points on the other end while setting hard screens to free up Jalen Brunson, who exploded for 44 points and seven assists.
The Knicks outscored the Pacers by a staggering 26 points in McBride’s 40 minutes. The gutsy guard shot 7 of 15 from the floor and hit 3 of 7 from the 3-point range.
McBride added four assists against only one turnover. But more importantly, he helped limit Haliburton to only nine field goals. The Pacers’ All-Star guard just scored 13 points in the lopsided loss.
“I’m glad coach trusted me starting tonight and just being able to impact both sides of the ball, I think that was the main thing,” McBride told reporters.
McBride did not have problems switching from defending Pacers backup guard TJ McConnell for most of the series to Haliburton in the pivotal Game 5.
“I’m a defender first,” McBride said. “I think what I have to do is be able to guard down, guard up. I just have a lot of different tools on that end of the floor — being able to be aggressive and knowing when to pull back. It’s just a part of my mentality.”
It’s the same type of mentality that Wasserman believes Bronny James needs to have to find his niche and step out of LeBron James’ large shadow.
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Bronny James’ Best Comp Is Pesky Knicks Guard: NBA Draft Analyst