As expected, USC product Bronny James did not find himself as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Wednesday night.
Despite a stellar Scouting Combine and pre-draft workouts, James was never going to be one of the first 30 players off the board.
He seemed resigned to this heading into the start of the draft. That’s especially true when it comes to playing with his father, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
“No, never. My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself, and get to the NBA, which is everyone’s end goal that’s here. I never thought about just playing with my dad, but of course he’s brought it up a couple of times. But yeah, I don’t think about it much.”
A top-17 recruit in the Class of 2023, James suffered cardiac arrest last summer while practicing with the Trojans While he’s since been medically cleared, this impacted the guard as a freshman for USC.
- Bronny James stats (2023-24): 4.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 37% shooting
Some believed that James would have been better off returning to the Trojans for another season. It was not to be.
He now has to wait until the second round on Thursday to hear his name called.
Related: Grading each first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft
Five landing spots for Bronny James in second round of the NBA Draft
- New York Knicks (38th): New York only made one selection in the first round of the draft. In fact, it picked up five future second-round picks by moving No. 26 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With an absolutely stacked roster, this team can afford to take a project like Bronny James in the second round. The Knicks can be patient with the youngster as he rounds into form from a prospect to a professional.
- Houston Rockets (44th): Houston picked up guard Reed Sheppard with the third pick in Wednesday’s draft. It’s obvious that the team is looking for backcourt help. General manager Rafael Stone is also looking to build depth on the roster. There might not be a better coach outside of Gregg Popovich for Bronny to learn from than Ime Udoka.
- San Antonio Spurs (48th): Speaking of Popovich, why not take a chance that James can pan out under the legendary head coach? We’ve seen his player development a ton during a brilliant career in San Antonio. If James ever lives up to expectations, he’d work wonders with Spurs super star Victor Wembanyama.
- Golden State Warriors (52nd): This is about where James is expected to go if he’s drafted. That is to say, the back end of the second round. What better player to learn from than four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry? Golden State is not getting an impact player here. James makes too much sense for the team.
- Los Angeles Lakers (55th): After stealing Dalton Knecht in the first round of the draft, Los Angeles could afford to team Bronny up with LeBron. We know that it’s not a priority for all parties. But this is an ideal situation to land James with a selection that is pretty much a throwaway.