Bronny James 'Proving to be More Than Just a Name,' NBA Scout Says

LeBron James may have some family company in the NBA sooner rather than later if one scout is to be believed.

"You can see the improvements he's made to his game from last year to this year," an NBA scout said of Bronny James, who is LeBron's son, per Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. "He's proving to be more than just a name and impacts the game positively whether that's making the extra pass on offense or dropping down for loose balls in the post on defense."

The younger James averaged 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in six games during Nike's Peach Jam.

Peek pointed to his ability in the pick-and-roll as a ball-handler as an area of particular improvement, which is notable because he is more of a playmaker now than he was when teammates Amari Bailey, Ziaire Williams and Brandon Boston Jr. were the focal points for his Sierra Canyon School team.

"The most impressive thing about Bronny at this age is his poise on the court and how he consistently makes the right decision," another NBA scout said. "He's a hell of a defender and you can see he's started to grow into his body a little more."

James' senior season at Sierra Canyon begins this fall.

High-profile college programs such as Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, Michigan and Texas, among others, have been connected to him, but Peek noted "his recruitment has been kept under wraps his entire career."

James will be eligible for the 2024 NBA draft if he chooses the one-and-done route in college, and his famous father has made no bones about his desire to play together in the NBA.

"My last year will be played with my son," LeBron said during the All-Star break in February, per Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."

The ability to bring the older James in may be enough to convince some NBA teams to draft his son, regardless of overall talent. After all, LeBron is a four-time champion and on the shortest of shortlists of the best players in league history.

Yet Bronny's apparent improvement means he may very well make the NBA on his own merits. He seemed to turn heads during the Peach Jam and will have one more season to do so at the high school level in 2022-23.