Bronny James Rumors: NBA Scouts 'Divided' on LeBron's Son as Prospect Ahead of Draft

NBA scouts are "divided" on USC guard Bronny James as a 2024 draft prospect, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix.

Mannix added that James "has elite defensive tools but lacks the size to defend bigger guards" and "showed flashes of being a strong playmaker but isn't a traditional point guard."

James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, declared for the 2024 NBA draft on Friday while maintaining his college eligibility. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadiums, teams already view the younger James as an "NBA-caliber defender."

"His priority right now is to stay in the draft, from what I'm told," Charania added on FanDuel TV's Run It Back. "If he's somewhere in that late first-round range, seeing exactly where he can end up in this NBA draft process."

Entering the draft isn't James' only option, as he also entered the transfer portal and could stay in college while choosing to play for a school other than USC during the 2024-25 season.

The 19-year-old struggled with inconsistent shooting throughout his freshman campaign, averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three.

James wasn't able to make his Trojans debut until Dec. 10 after suffering cardiac arrest during an offseason workout in July, the cause of which was later identified as a congenital heart defect.

While he showcased his promising defense and averaged 0.8 steals per game, NBA teams may be worried about his low efficiency. In Bleacher Report's latest two-round mock draft, James was not selected in either round.

However, he could end up boosting his draft stock by impressing scouts throughout the pre-draft process. If they're still divided on his potential, he can also stay in college and attempt to improve his offensive output without having to worry about missing the start of the season.