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

[Ckay]

OP is the next Brian Windhorst.

[Pelly24]

I've followed Bronny since he was 11 or 12, and this is all true, but it's not the end of the world. It honestly just seemed improbably that he would be as small in stature as he is while also being a below average athlete in functional basketball terms. His passing and feel for the game are there and he's very strong and has good feet for playing defense, but not playing offense. What's always been interesting to me is that ever since he turned 13, his movements have seemed stiff and labored, like he has to drag his legs to get going. When he lands from jumps it looks the same as lebron, and he has a total lack of wiggle and burst and acceleration that makes it seem like he's a lumbering 6'7" forward, but in actuality, he's maybe 6'2" and a half barefoot. But aside from that lack of wiggle and first step, he is also very small in stature. His shoulders are very small and he doesn't seem to have much surface area to put muscle onto.



I kept thinking that all of these things—his stiff movements, his small frame, small upper body, lack of burst, his being the same size since freshman year—could mean that he would either grow a few more inches or add about 20 pounds in bulk and fill out and be an Eric Gordon or Jrue Holiday type of guy in terms of build, and then the burst and fluidity would come because he grew into his frame. But none of that has happened. He is probably close to the same height as Steph and Kyrie, but you can see in the above picture, he is much smaller in his upper body than most elite guard prospects. He's much smaller in the shoulders and torso than Kyrie at age 17, for instance. Bronny is super bouncy and strong and has decent speed in the open court, but he is not as athletic as most four-star prospect guards in a practical way, and he also appears smaller than many of them, too in terms of build.

Additionally, people say that he's a good shooter, is skilled and all that, but he shot like 32% from the field in 8 games in the EYBL this year, and he got to the free throw line like 5 times in that time. The free throw rate shows an inability to create shots. He had a couple of games where he shot 6 and 10 times and missed every shot. I saw game before that as well, and he's not really what you could call a solid shooter. All of that said, from what I saw, as a glue guy, to me he looked like a net positive. He was the best defender on the team and he had flashes of some smooth offense, he's just got below average athletic ability and average height with small shoulders, so he can't overpower anyone. No physical or skill advantage at this point.

The truth is, he's really not a four-star prospect, and maybe he's a 3-star prospect—and that's fine. But once again, fans and the media have created a narrative for a player far too soon. The signs were always there. People saw him not score and thought it was just him being passive and making the right play, but it was actually an inability to generate his own shot. This was the summer I figured we'd have the answer, and it's here. At the beginning of sophomore year, if a prospect hasn't grown, it's usually a sign that they're pretty much done on that end. People kept saying "oh when he's a senior" all that, but it all sounded like they just expected him to transform into his dad overnight one day.

All of that said, he's a good basketball player and seems to be a good kid. It's unlikely at this point, but maybe he does still have one more growth spurt. It's not his fault his dad is who he is and the media is ridiculously irresponsible and can't help themselves. LeBron also did Bronny no favors. Gilbert Arenas as recently as last December said that bronny was a clone of LeBron and that Bronny was already 6'5" or 6'6" (Gilbert is literally an idiot, lol). But yeah, wish him the best.

[SFrush]

[Pelly24]

He's not going to the NBA. But he should be able to play a decent amount of college ball over 4 years.

If Gelo is getting NBA summer league tryouts, LeBron friggin James' son is going to at least get a sniff of an NBA court.

TBH, this is what people don't get, Liangelo was actually a much better player than Bronny was. He could shoot really well and had really good size for highs cool and he could go off for like 40 points and stuff like that.

[NO-KG-AI]

He doesn't look like an elite pro prospect, but he certainly looks strong, quick, with good balance and size for a guard. I think he's a good enough shooter, ball handler, and has enough IQ to carve out a pretty good career

[God Squad]

He doesn't look like an elite pro prospect, but he certainly looks strong, quick, with good balance and size for a guard. I think he's a good enough shooter, ball handler, and has enough IQ to carve out a pretty good career

Well he isn't an elite prospect and I haven't seen one site rate him as such. The thread premise that he "probably won't ever be a real nba player" is flawed. 6'3 without shoes is plenty enough to play either guard spot, better shooter than his dad at the same age, playmaking chops and good size/frame for a guard.

Bronny James Debuts As The 30th-Best 2023 Prospect on 247Sports Rankings
When ESPN released its first ESPN 25 ranks for the 2023 HS class of hoopers, they ranked Bronny James at the 24th spot. Now, 247Sports has joined them with their own top-50 list, in which Bronny is the 30th-best player in the nation. We take a look at his and the other names that made the list.

So for the past year and some change he's been ranked anywhere from 24-30. So no, he's not his dad or one of the "elite" prospects, but for OP to write him off from making the NBA because of his own "internet" scouting is flawed and isn't worth discussing IMO.

[JN61]

Daddy gets him drafted.

[Pelly24]

He doesn't look like an elite pro prospect, but he certainly looks strong, quick, with good balance and size for a guard. I think he's a good enough shooter, ball handler, and has enough IQ to carve out a pretty good career

Well he isn't an elite prospect and I haven't seen one site rate him as such. The thread premise that he "probably won't ever be a real nba player" is flawed. 6'3 without shoes is plenty enough to play either guard spot, better shooter than his dad at the same age, playmaking chops and good size/frame for a guard.

Bronny James Debuts As The 30th-Best 2023 Prospect on 247Sports Rankings
When ESPN released its first ESPN 25 ranks for the 2023 HS class of hoopers, they ranked Bronny James at the 24th spot. Now, 247Sports has joined them with their own top-50 list, in which Bronny is the 30th-best player in the nation. We take a look at his and the other names that made the list.

So for the past year and some change he's been ranked anywhere from 24-30. So no, he's not his dad or one of the "elite" prospects, but for OP to write him off from making the NBA because of his own "internet" scouting is flawed and isn't worth discussing IMO.

I think you can never truly write someone off, but it's not based on internet scouting. Being 6'2," you need to be a lot more athletic than the average high school guard if you want to make it to the NBA. Watch Josh Selby, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kyrie, John Wall and people like that in high school. Watch how all those people just blow by guys, snatch a rebound and go coast to coast for finishes, dunk on people, stuff like that. This kid is not remotely similar to any of those folks. But the thing is he's also not as good a ball handler or shooter or passer as those guys. So not as athletic, not nearly as skilled. The size part is off, he's small even if he's not short for a point guard.

[Barnzy]

It's pretty rare for kids in modern day times to not be close in height to their dad. If not bigger then with 1-2 inches.

I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up 6'6+ by 18-19.

[robbie84]

I don't follow HS basketball, so correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't James jr. play guard? 6 foot 3 barefoot is fine for a guard - he'd be bigger coming into the league than guys like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.

I mean, those are two incredibly talented players, and OP's main argument was that he lacks size and also lacks talent.

[SharpyShuffle]

He doesn't look like an elite pro prospect, but he certainly looks strong, quick, with good balance and size for a guard. I think he's a good enough shooter, ball handler, and has enough IQ to carve out a pretty good career

Well he isn't an elite prospect and I haven't seen one site rate him as such. The thread premise that he "probably won't ever be a real nba player" is flawed. 6'3 without shoes is plenty enough to play either guard spot, better shooter than his dad at the same age, playmaking chops and good size/frame for a guard.

Bronny James Debuts As The 30th-Best 2023 Prospect on 247Sports Rankings
When ESPN released its first ESPN 25 ranks for the 2023 HS class of hoopers, they ranked Bronny James at the 24th spot. Now, 247Sports has joined them with their own top-50 list, in which Bronny is the 30th-best player in the nation. We take a look at his and the other names that made the list.

So for the past year and some change he's been ranked anywhere from 24-30. So no, he's not his dad or one of the "elite" prospects, but for OP to write him off from making the NBA because of his own "internet" scouting is flawed and isn't worth discussing IMO.

I think you can never truly write someone off, but it's not based on internet scouting. Being 6'2," you need to be a lot more athletic than the average high school guard if you want to make it to the NBA. Watch Josh Selby, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Kyrie, John Wall and people like that in high school. Watch how all those people just blow by guys, snatch a rebound and go coast to coast for finishes, dunk on people, stuff like that. This kid is not remotely similar to any of those folks. But the thing is he's also not as good a ball handler or shooter or passer as those guys. So not as athletic, not nearly as skilled. The size part is off, he's small even if he's not short for a point guard.

But those guys (except for Selby) all made it as stars/high paid starters in the NBA. Nobody thinks Bronny is going to be Derrick Rose. It's just a question of whether he can get drafted at all, even in the late second round (which I think is close to 100% yes given who his father is, how well his father is aging, what his father has said about wanting to play together, and how little teams value late second round picks) and whether he *deserves* to be drafted in the late second (which is probably more 50-50).

The question is not "can he equal Kyrie?" It's "can he equal Sharife Cooper?"

[JayMKE]

Not sure how being 6’3” at 17 precludes you from being in the league and imagine there is a good chance that he grows some more yet. Expecting him to be his father is insane and unfair.

[Mr Puddles]

I don't follow HS basketball, so correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't James jr. play guard? 6 foot 3 barefoot is fine for a guard - he'd be bigger coming into the league than guys like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.

I mean, those are two incredibly talented players, and OP's main argument was that he lacks size and also lacks talent.

Does he lack size for a guard though? It's not like he's 5 foot 11 or something.

It seems kind of silly to say that "it's official" "bronny will probably never be an NBA player" based on the fact that he's basically around average sized for his position and that there's a possibility he might still grow.

[CreekShow]

I don't follow HS basketball, so correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't James jr. play guard? 6 foot 3 barefoot is fine for a guard - he'd be bigger coming into the league than guys like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.

I mean, those are two incredibly talented players, and OP's main argument was that he lacks size and also lacks talent.

Exactly. Similar height is the only thing Bronny has compared to these players.

[robbie84]

I don't follow HS basketball, so correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't James jr. play guard? 6 foot 3 barefoot is fine for a guard - he'd be bigger coming into the league than guys like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard.

I mean, those are two incredibly talented players, and OP's main argument was that he lacks size and also lacks talent.

Does he lack size for a guard though? It's not like he's 5 foot 11 or something.

It seems kind of silly to say that "it's official" "bronny will probably never be an NBA player" based on the fact that he's basically around average sized for his position and that there's a possibility he might still grow.

Well, I think if he lacks size, then he needs talent to make up for it, and vice versa. Unfortunately Bronny doesn't have his father's genes in either. Could definitely grow to 6'10" easily though. For now, OP has somewhat of a point, but he could still be an NBA guard for sure- so I don't agree that he can't become a 'real' NBA player. Just not a star.

[garrick]

Height is not everything just look at Shareef O'Neal, 6'10 but he doesn't really look like he will be a NBA player and has had mediocre stats in college so far.

You need the right combination of IQ, Strength, Height and temperment and it's really tough to get someone that has all the qualities to be an NBA player let alone an elite one.

[OdomFan]

The heck am I missing here? Irving, Curry, Westbrook to name a few are between 6'3 and 6'4. Heck, CP3 is 6 feet tall even.

[Harry Garris]

TLDR but some guys can have growth spurts up until 20-21...

Yeah, I was 5'11 my sophomore year of high school at age 16, 6'1 when I graduated at age 18, and a couple of years later at age 21 I grew to 6'3.

It's not even that rare. Paul George had a growth spurt in his early 20s. Giannis had one at age 19. Guys bodies aren't done developing until age 22 or 23.

[dc]

He could still grow and get better, but I think the conclusion would be that he's far from being an elite level prospect.

Any other player of the same age, size and skill level as Bronny would barely register on the college recruiting radar right now (as far as major programs). They'd be looking at being recruited by a mid-major college.

It's no knock on Bronny. MJ's kids weren't very good. One of them was a college walk on at Illinois who then transferred to join his brother at Central Florida (basically a mid-major basketball program). Both guys were role players at the college level.

[dc]

The heck am I missing here? Irving, Curry, Westbrook to name a few are between 6'3 and 6'4. Heck, CP3 is 6 feet tall even.

It's more that his skills look fairly underwhelming. He really doesn't have any traits that stand out, even at the college level. Maybe a good defender, but that's about it.