Bronny James declared for the NBA draft last Friday, and one star thinks he made a smart move.
The Warriors’ Draymond Green said on his eponymous podcast this week that James declaring for the draft — while entering the transfer portal and still maintaining college eligibility — was a good move.
“I think it’s a smart move for him to go in this NBA draft because this NBA draft will go down probably as one of the worst in history,” Green said of LeBron James’ son. “From a top talent standpoint. There’s not even a consensus No. 1 pick. I think it’s a great decision, and I definitely think Bronny will be a successful NBA player.”
Green also said he has no doubt James, who just played his freshman year at USC, has the attributes to get the job done.
“Number one, he knows how to work,” Green added. “And if you don’t think he knows how to work, go look at Bronny from his freshman year to sophomore, sophomore to junior, junior to senior. There, you will see a kid that knows how to work because you will see the improvement in his game, you will see the improvement in his body, you can see the improvement in his athleticism.”
In James’ senior year of high school, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for Sierra Canyon High School.
Those numbers were an improvement from his junior year stats of 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.
In his freshman year, and potentially only year, at USC, James averaged well lower than his high school numbers, but Green dismissed those stats.
Though Green thinks James — who started his USC season late after suffering cardiac arrest over the summer — could make it in the NBA, an unnamed general manager told The Ringer he should wait another year.
“Bronny is nowhere near ready. He should go back to school to develop at his own pace or he risks getting lost in the shuffle, whether or not he’s playing with his dad,” the GM told the outlet.
An NBA scout agreed with the anonymous GM.
“Bronny is an undersized non-shooting guard. The shot looks good but doesn’t go in. Those guys scare me the most. It’s either lack of touch or mental, and either way, those take years to correct,” the scout said.
James will work out for and visit with NBA teams and then make a decision on whether he will enter the draft or go back to college based on his evaluation.
