Jan 13, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) warms up before the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers made the move that many predicted they would in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Lakers selected Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, with the No. 55 pick in the draft. The move means father and son will not just have the chance to play in the NBA together, but could even play on the same team.
Realistically, this stage of the NBA Draft is largely a crapshoot, and the Lakers clearly saw value in taking Bronny here. They may well believe that they can help turn Bronny into an NBA player, though it is hard to believe that making LeBron happy is not at least part of the motivation here. Rich Paul, who represents both LeBron and Bronny, has consistently denied that this is the case, but that is tough to believe.
Whatever the case, Bronny did incredibly well to maneuver himself into position to be drafted. He overcame a cardiac incident last year 11 months ago to play for USC. He only played 19.3 minutes per game for the Trojans and averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in that limited action.
It is worth noting that teams other than the Lakers did see Bronny as a legitimate NBA prospect. The Lakers can probably justify taking a flier on him at this stage, with or without the family connection.
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