NBA Rumors: 4 Insiders Say Bronny James Would Go Undrafted If He Wasn't LeBron's Son

There is a belief among some in the NBA that Bronny James would go undrafted if not for being the son of NBA legend LeBron James.

In an article published Friday, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic noted that he spoke to five NBA talent evaluators—two scouts and three "higher-ranking executives"—about their feelings regarding Bronny.

Per Vecenie, four of the people he talked to said they would not draft Bronny based solely on "the merits of his game," while the fifth person said they would use a late second-round pick on him and make him a two-way contract player due to his "high hoops intelligence and defensive potential."

James, who announced his intention to enter the 2024 NBA draft last week, put up modest numbers in his one collegiate season at USC.

In 25 games during his freshman campaign, the 6'4" guard averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per contest, while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.

He reached double figures in scoring in just three games all season, but it should be noted that Bronny's freshman year got off to a delayed start.

James went into cardiac arrest while working out over the summer and had to undergo a heart procedure, causing him to miss the first eight games.

It also didn't help that the Trojans struggled as a whole, going just 15-18, leading to head coach Andy Enfield leaving for SMU.

Of the four talent evaluators who told Vecenie they would not draft Bronny, two said they thought he would never be good enough and the other two said that while they believe he has a chance to develop into a contributor at some point, a ton of work will have to go into making that happen.

Before joining USC, Bronny starred at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles and was rated as the No. 28 overall player in his recruiting class by 247Sports.

While LeBron is one of the most physically impressive players in NBA history and has often used his size and strength to take over games, Bronny is a different type of player.

In high school, he was a quality shooter and playmaker, and he has often been lauded for his perimeter defense.

Bronny has yet to show that he can consistently put all of those skills together at a level higher than high school, which is why NBA teams potentially giving pause to the idea of drafting him is understandable.

While Bronny could opt to move forward and remain in the draft, he is also in the NCAA transfer portal, so he could withdraw from the draft and transfer to a school other than USC if he decides that the odds of getting drafted are against him.