"Wouldn't be like plucking some guy off the street": Rachel Nichols makes case for $4.8 million NIL-valued Bronny James in 2024 NBA Draft
Bronny James, the former guard for the USC Trojans and the son of NBA legend LeBron James, has declared for the NBA draft.
The move surprised some fans, as a couple of days before the announcement, James, who has a NIL value of $4.8 million (per On3.com), was rumored to have entered the transfer portal, and was nowhere near good enough to be playing in the NBA.
Now, questions have turned to which NBA team will draft Bronny James if he is selected in the second round. On Monday's edition of Undisputed, sports reporter Rachel Nichols shared her views about James and his likelihood of being drafted by a team. She said:
" lt wouldn't be like plucking some guy off the street. Bronny James has gotten evaluated by scouts as a potential late second rounder, someone you may put on a two-way contract. He's got high basketball IQ... There are things about him that has more of an NBA body than what you would expect it to be"
Bronny James has had a heavily watched high school career, which may have only occurred as he is the son of one of the most well-known athletes on the planet. This could be the reason why a team takes him in the upcoming NBA draft.
If Bronny James were to be drafted as a late second-round pick as Nichols has suggested, there is a likelihood that the LA Lakers would be the team to pick him as LeBron James currently plays for the Lakers.
Additional comments made by Nichols seem to suggest that this may be a possibility:
"If LeBron wants to play a year with him (Bronny James)... Then he will play a year on the Lakers team, because Jeanie Buss (The Lakers owner) has a history of treating her star players like stars and doing what they want"
Bronny James in College
A main reason why many fans believe that Bronny James is not ready for the NBA yet even though he was an impressive player in high school is due to his performances in college with the USC Trojans.
While a degree of leniency can be given to Bronny due to his cardiac arrest during a pre-season training session affecting the start of his time in college, his numbers and on-court performances when he was declared healthy to play were nowhere near what he was able to do in high school.
During his one season with the Trojans, Bronny averaged 4.8 points per game, with 2.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds. This is a far cry from the 14 points per game and five rebounds he averaged during high school.
Do you think that Bronny James will play on the Lakers with his father?