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Bronny James is not planning to continue his basketball career at USC. The guard has both declared for the NBA Draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal.
In an attempt to keep all of his options open, he’s maintained his college eligibility by not hiring an agent. That means, should he not receive the news he wants to hear in terms of his draft outlook, he can continue playing albeit at a new school.
But the overwhelming belief is that the NBA is priority No. 1.
NBA insider Shams Charania broke things down on Monday, giving a bit of insight into how professional teams view Bronny James. As it turns out, he may be NBA ready in one particular aspect of his game.
Defense.
Here’s what Charania had to say on the Run It Back show.
“Bronny James is declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, but he’s also maintaining his college eligibility…When I talk to NBA teams there’s a clear consensus that as a defender he’s already at that caliber of an NBA defender.”@ShamsCharania on Bronny James. pic.twitter.com/pEM2ho4zxJ
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 8, 2024
“Bronny James is declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, but he’s also maintaining his college eligibility,” Charania said. “When I talk to NBA teams there’s a clear consensus that as a defender, he’s already at that caliber of an NBA defender.”
He also alluded to this being maybe the best draft class for Bronny to be in given its lack of star power.
“If there’s a draft to be in, this is probably the draft, by all accounts, to stay in, and it’s not like Bronny James is a guy that’s hurting for money… [His entourage] is going to make sure that he finds the right situation, whether that’s going in the first round or second round if he does stay in this draft.”
While the defense is there, questions about offense remain. For that reason, the insider said that whoever does take a chance on James will need “comfortability with their job status.”
Still, a move to the NBA is on the table. We should know where Bronny’s head is at in the coming weeks.