IT'S LIKELY: Bronny James is 18 and short (about 6'1/2" barefoot) so his size+skills won't make him a real nba player

[tsherkin]

To make such bold claims for a guy that hasn't even enter his senior year yet as THE guy on the team is foolish. Likewise with thinking that a 17yo kid has stopped growing.

Most men are done by 18, give or take very small changes. There are exceptions, of course. Pippen is a good example. Rodman had an 8-inch growth spurt after high school. D-Rob grew like half a foot after leaving HS. It happens, but if you're a betting man, you lay odds on more the average thing being the order of the day, right? We'll see over time, of course.

[Ruma85]

Honestly I think I got to wait things out. Bronny is most likely done getting taller but he gets more athletic and more comfortable with the ball every time I see him. He’s always had a nuanced scoring package, but now he seemingly has the burst to use it.

That dunk yesterday takes a low of speed and power and coordination. I actually don’t think Donovan Mitchell can make that kind of play. And if you’ve been watching Bronny, you already know he’s a super instinctive playmaker and defender. As I’ve said kind of recently, he’s the type of kid that will get better and better. He’s going to be in the NBA, and he’ll be a decent player at worst. But look out because what you see today isn’t what you’ll see next year and the year after.

Yeah, he's improving. I just hope that when he gets to college he doesn't start playing passive, because he's that type of player, if he isn't the best player on his team he starts deferring to whoever he views as better than him because he views that as "Playing the right way" like his dad. Which may be the right thing to do but it isn't what gets you "Noticed" (not that he needs to get noticed but you can't get picked if you average like 5/2/2) and he will likely play with lottery picks and upperclassmen if he goes to a top college like he probably will

Yeah I saw a scout named David Thorpe say the same thing. Looking back, I think it was good that Bronny learned how to be a great role player first because the downfall for a lot of guys is that they have a star player’s game but not the efficacy (re: Austin rivers, even more so, dion waiters). But Bronny does all the little things and can defend, pass and shoot without the ball. But I think his ISO game and scoring ability can only be developed through a bunch of reps and ups and downs. This will help him further refine his handle and jumper. You’ll see that come together with his vision and defense and if/when that does, his ceiling gets a lot higher because that’s basically a decent-sized guard that can do everything. Like a Jalen Brunson with elite IQ/playmaking ability and solid defense. We’ll see though. That’s a long ways out, and he’s got more to prove. But he’s got IQ that shooting guards don’t have and he projects to be an above average NBA athlete in a couple of years, and the skills are mostly there. Hope he goes to a low high major but that probably won’t happen. Maybe USC or Rutgers would be good

How do you shoot without the ball?

[dk1115]

Question: If Bronny James wasn't Lebron's kid, would he still be a top 40 recruit? Where would you rank him?

[remi_222]

Saw him in Paris last monday : kid can really play offensively, but on defense he got killed ! no size, no wingspan, not enough grind ... impossible to me !

[brutalitops]

Question: If Bronny James wasn't Lebron's kid, would he still be a top 40 recruit? Where would you rank him?

Nobody in this entire thread would have seen more then 40 high school recruits.

[JN61]

Two words: Donovan Mitchell.

This. How does a 6'2.75" skilled guard with a smooth outside shot, solid work ethic, good court vision & above average athleticism not have a chance in the NBA? The potential is there.

Yes. Also this kid will get all the chances in the world because of his name. If he has solid work ethic he will make career for himself in NBA. Might not be all-star level of player but we could see Curry type of transition where player grows from near unplayable state to solid starter.

Also you don't need to be so skillful (in terms of modern bias, which is basically just shooting) to play in NBA. Westbrook has shown you can be one of top 5 players in the league for a decade with having only an average mid range shot, as long as you can do other things on the court. If this kid has any kind of court vision is out there but Westbrook for example developed his court vision in NBA so everything is possible if you have top 3 work ethic (or one of better ones) in NBA. And this kid has seen how much his father puts in work so he already has a good role model.

I think what would be the most harmful, and thing that most likely will happen, is when Lebron pushes him into this kid's career. Making it about himself, as he always do, and kid gets even more unjustified light and criticism brought to him.

[northoakland510]

I didn't think he would have issues skills wise because they can get the best training. Seeing his athleticism improve changes the game for him, I'm rooting for the kid.

[GusFring]

Like most things in life its more about opportunity than raw skill usually. I remember all of these threads about both ball brothers.

[NO-KG-AI]

Like most things in life its more about opportunity than raw skill usually. I remember all of these threads about both ball brothers.

No, it’s really not. 99.9% of NBA players are there because of skills/athleticism, not nepotism and opportunity. It’s one of the few fields where opportunity at best is a tie breaker.

[mg]

If he's going to be tied to Lebron then I don't see any team drafting him other than the Lakers tbh.
What team outside the Lakers is going to pay 40 year old Lebron over $50m per season? If Lebron's goal is to own an NBA team I don't see him taking any paycuts.

At this point Bronny has some skills but he's not a FRP level prospect. He's still a wing in a PG size body.

[brutalitops]

If he's going to be tied to Lebron then I don't see any team drafting him other than the Lakers tbh.
What team outside the Lakers is going to pay 40 year old Lebron over $50m per season? If Lebron's goal is to own an NBA team I don't see him taking any paycuts.

At this point Bronny has some skills but he's not a FRP level prospect. He's still a wing in a PG size body.

Any team which wants to sell out an arena a couple of times and make a heap of revenue with jersey sales

[_qubik]

I dont think height is a big deal, its more about how you play and your wingspan to a certain degree. Bruce Brown is 6'4 but plays like he's 6'7.

He is 6'4 but plays like a guy who is 6'7 and looks like is 6'10

[Pelly24]

Saw him in Paris last monday : kid can really play offensively, but on defense he got killed ! no size, no wingspan, not enough grind ... impossible to me !

That's really interesting, most scouts and coaches say he's a great defender. But I did see him get beat badly at times. I don't know what his wingspan is, but everyone says he's got long arms. He dunks very comfortably in comparison to someone like Dame, who even at 6'2" with a 40-inch vertical, has to put in effort to dunk the ball. Bronny, even since his Freshman year, dunks as though he's a 6'4" swingman, if he has two steps and a slight runway it's a dunk, so I feel like that might mean he's got a good standing reach and a good wingspan. But maybe his defense just needed to adjust to international play, and trying to score a lot meant less energy for defense.

[lambchop]

Saw him in Paris last monday : kid can really play offensively, but on defense he got killed ! no size, no wingspan, not enough grind ... impossible to me !

That's really interesting, most scouts and coaches say he's a great defender. But I did see him get beat badly at times. I don't know what his wingspan is, but everyone says he's got long arms. He dunks very comfortably in comparison to someone like Dame, who even at 6'2" with a 40-inch vertical, has to put in effort to dunk the ball. Bronny, even since his Freshman year, dunks as though he's a 6'4" swingman, if he has two steps and a slight runway it's a dunk, so I feel like that might mean he's got a good standing reach and a good wingspan. But maybe his defense just needed to adjust to international play, and trying to score a lot meant less energy for defense.

Dame is still easily the better dunker. Bronny isn't doing eastbays yet. And you can't compare dunks in an NBA game with actual athletic defenders ready to chase you down at any moment. That said, this dunk by Bronny was very impressive. He'll probably continue to get more athletic.

Watch on YouTube

But if you're not strong or exceptionally quick, it's still difficult to impose your will using hops alone. Just see someone like McClung who is a freak jumper but doesn't have the speed of a guy like young Lillard or Morant that could get him to the rim consistently.

[Long2_noD]

Watch on YouTube

That is a very young-Westbrook-like coast to coast. If he's able to do this and get just marginally better in college, then he will be a FRP no doubt.

[Pelly24]

Saw him in Paris last monday : kid can really play offensively, but on defense he got killed ! no size, no wingspan, not enough grind ... impossible to me !

That's really interesting, most scouts and coaches say he's a great defender. But I did see him get beat badly at times. I don't know what his wingspan is, but everyone says he's got long arms. He dunks very comfortably in comparison to someone like Dame, who even at 6'2" with a 40-inch vertical, has to put in effort to dunk the ball. Bronny, even since his Freshman year, dunks as though he's a 6'4" swingman, if he has two steps and a slight runway it's a dunk, so I feel like that might mean he's got a good standing reach and a good wingspan. But maybe his defense just needed to adjust to international play, and trying to score a lot meant less energy for defense.

Dame is still easily the better dunker. Bronny isn't doing eastbays yet. And you can't compare dunks in an NBA game with actual athletic defenders ready to chase you down at any moment. That said, this dunk by Bronny was very impressive. He'll probably continue to get more athletic.

Watch on YouTube

But if you're not strong or exceptionally quick, it's still difficult to impose your will using hops alone. Just see someone like McClung who is a freak jumper but doesn't have the speed of a guy like young Lillard or Morant that could get him to the rim consistently.

Not to dunk on you (pun intended, aha) but Bronny can do an Eastbay dunk, he does it here:

Watch on YouTube

Really, so many high schoolers can do EastBays, it might be a dunk that's the equivalent of what Windmills were 20 years ago. I'm not commenting as much on athletic ability, more reach. I think Bronny might have a pretty big standing reach of around 8'3" or 8'4" just based on how it seems like he barely has to jump to dunk. Dame has a 7'11" standing reach. I would say Dame is more athletic than Bronny because he's much quicker from a standstill and he's way better at changing directions. If Bronny had this, and a slightly tighter handle, he'd probably a top 20 player in his class and a FRP lock. But I do think Bronny is probably a more versatile leaper. To do this type of dunk on the wrong side and dunk with a much bigger defender right there is pretty insane in terms of coordination and power. Also, I think Dame is more of a two-foot leaper, whereas Bronny is an amazing leaper off his right, left or both legs. He regularly gets chase down blocks and blocks 7-footers in the half court off two feet or one. Most people specialize in one or the other, but Bronny's just a gifted leaper, which isn't a big surprise cause..you know. This leaping versatility and what I believe is a higher standing reach and bigger hands, I think would make Bronny a more effortless dunker because it doesn't matter what circumstances he gets the ball

But gotta work on that change of direction, blow-by burst and tightening handle and jumper.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

So are you guys saying there aren't any 6'2-6'4 players in the NBA??? Why can't he be a backup PG or SG somewhere ??

yes, that is exactly what everybody is saying. the people on realgm - some of the most avid nba fans on the planet think nba players start at 6'5".

the point is, people are questioning whether or not he has the skills necessary to make it as a player at that height. any 6'3" human in the world "could" be a backup PG or SG in the league, but only a select few elite of the elite actually have the skills, athleticism, mental make up, etc, to actually make it that far. is bronny one of those? nobody knows at this point. but right now, at least in my eyes, it doesn't look promising.

You can of course make it even if you're shorter than 6-2.
But then you must be really, REALLY, good.
The point is not that Bronny will not be NBA material, but that he has a very low chance of getting to that point.

[mg]

If he's going to be tied to Lebron then I don't see any team drafting him other than the Lakers tbh.
What team outside the Lakers is going to pay 40 year old Lebron over $50m per season? If Lebron's goal is to own an NBA team I don't see him taking any paycuts.

At this point Bronny has some skills but he's not a FRP level prospect. He's still a wing in a PG size body.

Any team which wants to sell out an arena a couple of times and make a heap of revenue with jersey sales

Nah I just don't see any team outside the Lakers who would willingly pay 40 year old Lebron over $50mil per season. Teams already make enough money just with the revenue sharing. Klutch also has enough pull to get him drafted by the right team. Bronny just isn't a good enough prospect to be worth all the hassle. We'll see how it plays out.

[Warriors Analyst]

Two words: Donovan Mitchell.

This. How does a 6'2.75" skilled guard with a smooth outside shot, solid work ethic, good court vision & above average athleticism not have a chance in the NBA? The potential is there.

Yes. Also this kid will get all the chances in the world because of his name. If he has solid work ethic he will make career for himself in NBA. Might not be all-star level of player but we could see Curry type of transition where player grows from near unplayable state to solid starter.

Also you don't need to be so skillful (in terms of modern bias, which is basically just shooting) to play in NBA. Westbrook has shown you can be one of top 5 players in the league for a decade with having only an average mid range shot, as long as you can do other things on the court. If this kid has any kind of court vision is out there but Westbrook for example developed his court vision in NBA so everything is possible if you have top 3 work ethic (or one of better ones) in NBA. And this kid has seen how much his father puts in work so he already has a good role model.

I think what would be the most harmful, and thing that most likely will happen, is when Lebron pushes him into this kid's career. Making it about himself, as he always do, and kid gets even more unjustified light and criticism brought to him.

I'm going to assume you mean Seth Curry here unless you really go into a Bronny thread raging against Steph

[lambchop]

This. How does a 6'2.75" skilled guard with a smooth outside shot, solid work ethic, good court vision & above average athleticism not have a chance in the NBA? The potential is there.

Yes. Also this kid will get all the chances in the world because of his name. If he has solid work ethic he will make career for himself in NBA. Might not be all-star level of player but we could see Curry type of transition where player grows from near unplayable state to solid starter.

Also you don't need to be so skillful (in terms of modern bias, which is basically just shooting) to play in NBA. Westbrook has shown you can be one of top 5 players in the league for a decade with having only an average mid range shot, as long as you can do other things on the court. If this kid has any kind of court vision is out there but Westbrook for example developed his court vision in NBA so everything is possible if you have top 3 work ethic (or one of better ones) in NBA. And this kid has seen how much his father puts in work so he already has a good role model.

I think what would be the most harmful, and thing that most likely will happen, is when Lebron pushes him into this kid's career. Making it about himself, as he always do, and kid gets even more unjustified light and criticism brought to him.

I'm going to assume you mean Seth Curry here unless you really go into a Bronny thread raging against Steph

Yea Seth seems like a legit example. To me that the process sixers team with guys, like Ish Smith, Robert Covington and TJ McConnel, is an example of how players can simply become legit NBA guys by training often and playing a lot of minutes against NBA players.
If Bronny ended up on a tanking team that gives him minutes, I'm sure he could establish himself over time.