It was the trend, and now it's official. Through his agent, Rich Paul, Bronny James confirmed that he remained registered for the next Draft and that he was therefore ending his university career.
“The range of teams that can select him is very wide. He is a very good prospect who has a lot of room for improvement,” explained Rich Paul on ESPN. “We only need one team, it could be the 1st or the 58th, I don’t really care. What matters is that there is a plan in place, a strategy for progress. And a financial investment. I don't want a “two-way contract” and the teams know it. »
Ranked 54th on ESPN, Bronny James increased his rating at the Chicago Draft Combine, notably finishing among the fastest and most explosive players tested on the occasion. He also finished second (out of 71 participants) in the 3-point shooting drills.
It must be said that he really needed it after a very complicated university season following a cardiac arrest in July, caused by a congenital malformation which sidelined him for five long months. He ultimately played 25 games with USC for very modest averages of 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 19 minutes.
“I don’t see how he wouldn’t be drafted”
As for the James clan, the challenge is to adopt the right strategy between now and the Draft, by targeting the right teams.
“We’re still thinking” confirms Rich Paul. “A lot of teams called. It's about organizing the workouts and determining what's real and what's not. There are only two or three teams that could take him. That’s how I’m going to approach the issue.”
Especially since the approach to the Draft is the realm of smokescreens, and this is all the more true for Bronny James, who could interest certain clubs… eager to recruit his father, soon to be a “free agent”.
Or keep it…
“The Lakers are going to look at Bronny like any other player. If they like him enough and he's still available, great. But if it's not the Lakers, that's great too. We obviously hear the discussions about the fact that he plays with his father but we don't dwell on that. If it happens naturally, great. But I'm not counting on it. Likewise, I'm not placing unrealistic expectations on Bronny because he's far from a finished product. I don't see how he wouldn't be drafted but if we can't find sensible situations for him and it's better not to be drafted, that'll be fine too.” concludes Rich Paul.
