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Bronny James’s basketball future is unclear as he navigates through the offseason in Los Angeles. Having both entered the transfer portal and declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, all options are on the table.
Will he find a new home for his sophomore season? Will he make the leap to the next level? Will he surprise everyone and stay with USC under new head coach Eric Musselman?
No one knows!
The least likely choice, at least at this moment in time, appears to be a return to LA. James committed to the Trojans, in part, because of a relationship with Andy Enfield.
So, when Enfield accepted the open role at SMU this March, James hopped in the portal.
Since, the guard has been linked to a number of notable schools, with Ohio State and Duquesne being at the top of the list.
Of course, that implies he’ll remain at the NCAA level rather than go all-in on the NBA Draft. According to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, that could very well be the case, and USC is to blame!
Bronny James was playing out of position as a freshman.
Windhorst appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to discuss Bronny’s future. He had this to say about his NBA outlook:
“When I talk to scouts about Bronny, they don’t think that he was able to put his best foot forward this year because USC didn’t play him at his position. They had several different guards that were NBA Draft prospects, so he played sort of on the wing…
“[Scouts] say he should play point guard, which is where he excelled in high school… He should go play somewhere where he can show that he can be the point guard, and that may not be USC.”
“When I talk to scouts about Bronny they don’t think that he was able to put his best foot forward this year because USC didn’t play him at his position..
The scouts are saying that he should go play somewhere that he can be the point guard”@WindhorstESPN #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/m0znGcav6H
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 18, 2024
Windhorst suggests that Andy Enfield gave James the short end of the stick in terms of his placement in the lineup. Other guards were better put in a position to succeed by being given roles that highlighted their strengths.
Of course, a major health scare in the preseason contributed as he was unavailable in the non-conference schedule.
Still, it’s being said that by not being able to play point guard upon returning to the court, Bronny James’s NBA stock took a major hit. It appears scouts want him to spend another year in college in order to prove he can facilitate an offense at a high level.
Where he’ll spend that next college season, we don’t yet know, but at least this gives a bit more clarity on his pending decision.