Bronny James remains in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to his agent

Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, will remain in the 2024 NBA Draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility, their agent Rich Paul told ESPN ahead of Wednesday’s NCAA deadline. Athleticism previously indicated that this decision was expected.

“Bronny’s (draft) range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s a very good prospect who has a lot of room to grow. It only takes one team. I don’t care where this team is – it could be No. 1 or 58 – (but) I care about the plan, the development.

“Team strategy, opportunity and financial commitment. That’s why I don’t do two-way deals. Every team understands this.

The Phoenix Suns – the team that holds the No. 22 pick – will conduct a workout with James before the draft, as he is one of several players being considered, Athleticism Previously reported. James has more than 10 training invitations, but is only expected to visit a few teams, including the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.

James, who suffered a cardiac arrest last July before returning to the court for his freshman season at USC, was fully cleared to play by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Committee and participated in all activities pre-draft, starting with the NBA Draft Combine earlier. this month.

Despite not being considered a top prospect, James was not included in Athleticism– his last name’s post-lottery draft and return to the field following a serious health issue make him one of the standout players in this year’s draft class.

There’s also the added intrigue of whether James and his father could become teammates. LeBron has expressed a desire to finish his career playing alongside his son.

Young James collapsed after suffering cardiac arrest during a USC team practice in July. A family spokesperson said a congenital heart defect was to blame. Doctors cleared him to return to practice four months later, and he made his college debut on December 10 against Long Beach State. He appeared in USC’s final 25 games, starting six and averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes.

Questions surrounding his future accelerated when his college coach at USC, Andy Enfield, left for the vacant head coaching job at SMU in March.

James, 19, declared for the NBA draft on April 5. He also entered the transfer portal to maintain his flexibility while he trained for NBA teams.

Following USC’s coaching change, LeBron said Bronny had “some tough decisions to make” regarding his future.

“At the end of the day, Bronny is his own man,” LeBron said in April.

Young James’ decision comes ahead of a big decision for his father, who must decide whether to accept his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25 by June 29. Team sources said last month that the Lakers were open to the prospect of helping. LeBron is fulfilling his dream of playing with his son by potentially drafting him.

LeBron declined to answer a question about whether he had played his final game as a Laker after Los Angeles was eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The NBA Draft will take place on June 26 and 27.

Scouting report on Bronny James

Bronny profiles as a 3-and-D guard who plays hard, makes good decisions on offense, does the little things, passes well, leads the fast break on defensive rebounds, fills transition lanes and attacks the rim when he does. on occasion. He’s a terrific defensive player who fights at the point of attack and has the length and foot speed to stick with most guards.

James’ offense is a work in progress. He has struggled to generate half-court paint touches this year and is not yet a great pull-up shooter. He made just 27 percent of his 3s last season, although he looked more confident taking them at USC and has more shooting talent than his percentage shows. — Sam Vecenie, NBA Draft Editor

Do Bronny’s measurements at the combine matter?

We finally had confirmation of James’ exact height. He stood 6 feet 1 1/2 without shoes with a wingspan of 6-7 1/4 and a standing reach of 8-2 1/2. That’s much smaller than the 6-4 size he was listed at while playing for USC, but it’s important to remember that colleges list players’ sizes in their shoes. Although the Trojans added an extra inch to Bronny’s size, they didn’t oversell him too much. On top of that, NBA teams were working under the assumption that James was in a rough 6-2 situation anyway.

James’ standing range puts him much more in the rough category of a point guard as opposed to that of a combo or shooting guard. Former players who went 8-2 1/2 at the combine include Bruce Brown, Collin Sexton, Terry Rozier and Avery Bradley. James is a bit stronger and bigger than most of these players. — Vecénie

How much do shooting drills help him?

James’ success in a shooting drill reminds evaluators that James has the potential to shoot the ball despite his percentages. That said, as I wrote a month ago, “he showed much more shooting potential as a player in high school than he did in college.” There’s nothing inherently wrong with its mechanics. Maybe he didn’t have the rhythm after not being cleared to play in the offseason.

NBA teams didn’t go into this process thinking James was incapable of shooting the basketball. This is the part of his offensive game that they have the most confidence translating to the pros. Plus, these shots are just a drop in the bucket. Among the hundreds of scouts and executives at last year’s Nike Hoop Summit, James photographed a far larger sample than the number he took at the combine. And of course, the shots he made at game speed last season are still the ones that matter most. Although it may have changed a few minds, I don’t know if it really made a difference. — Vecénie

And his vertical jump?

It’s nice to confirm what people already thought, but again, the evaluators were working under the assumption that James would be extremely good athletically. This one probably didn’t shake things up much for James in a positive way, but it’s valuable in confirming preconceptions. — Vecénie

Required reading

(Photo: Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)