Bronny James might not have had the best chance to succeed last season because he wasn’t at his best position on the court, at least according to one top NBA insider.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst jumped on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday to discuss the son of LeBron James, who earlier in April decided to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while retaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.
Though that doesn’t mean James, who was ESPN’s 19th-best prospect for the 2023 incoming class, can’t and won’t return at USC for his sophomore season, it does give him plenty of options to walk away from the Trojans, whether that’s on an NBA team or another Division I program.
Windhorst heard from scouts that James, after averaging just 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman, didn’t play as well as he could have because he wasn’t playing at point guard with USC.
“When I talk to scouts about Bronny they don’t think that he was able to put his best foot forward this year because USC didn’t play him in his position. They had several different guard prospects — NBA draft prospects — and he sort of played on the wing. They say he should play point guard, where he played and excelled when he was in high school.”
James’ first game at USC came later than expected in December after he unexpectedly suffered cardiac arrest over the summer after it was revealed that he had a congenital heart defect.
He ended up suiting up in 25 games overall, making just six starts.
USC will have a new coach next season, bringing in former Arkansas bench boss Eric Musselman, who said he would love to have James back with the team for 2024-25.
“Well, I mean, I need to try to get a hold of Bronny,” Musselman said following his introductory press conference on April 5. “I’ve texted him.”
“Certainly, he has got a lot of options,” he added. “We respect those options. We just want him to know that, hey, you know, this opportunity is here if you want to play at USC. We’d love to have him. Such a talented young man.”
James has his options open, and his dad has previously expressed a desire to play in the NBA with him before he retires.
Windhorst explained on McAfee’s show, though, that that dream is one specifically from LeBron’s side.
“LeBron has kind of changed the way he’s talked about that during the season. He made it clear that that’s hisdream and not necessarily Bronny’s dream,” Windhorst explained.