Bronny James announced on Instagram on Friday that he will be testing the NBA draft waters while also entering the NCAA transfer portal.
The move did not come as a surprise to NBA teams, especially in the wake of USC coach Andy Enfield leaving to coach at SMU; James will be one of hundreds of players who will make the same move this spring.
James' cardiac arrest episode in July, which required a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect and sidelined him for five months, not only derailed his freshman season at USC, but also created several hurdles for NBA teams to meaningfully evaluate him.
He will need to first be cleared by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel to participate in pre-draft workouts and the NBA combine, a process that could take months based on what we've seen with players such as Jared Butler and Keyontae Johnson, both of whom had similarly serious heart issues. He'll be asked to undergo a series of tests at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, should he be invited, and might not be able to participate in drills and scrimmaging, depending on how long it takes the panel to make a judgment on his condition.
Jay Williams explains why Bronny James is just gauging his draft stock by declaring for the NBA draft. (edited)
After James' return to the court in December, he did not have a very productive freshman season, in part due to missing five months of practices and games due to his heart condition. He averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19 minutes per game. On merit alone, it is hard to justify his inclusion in ESPN's latest 2024 mock draft or Top 100 prospect rankings, due to his play and the uncertainty regarding his status with NBA doctors moving forward.
James was a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school, ranked as ESPN's No. 20 recruit in his class and a potential lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft. His uneven play this season, combined with his health issues, put a damper on those projections for now, as most NBA teams we spoke with this season said they expected him to return to college for an additional season.
James showed strong potential defensively but did not shoot well (26.7 3P%) and was not assertive enough offensively as a scorer or as a playmaker as USC suffered through a disappointing season, finishing with a 15-18 record and a ninth-place finish in the Pac-12.
James was inserted into the starting lineup after an injury to Isaiah Collier in January but did not increase his productivity or aggressiveness, a plateau that will likely require him to return to college for another season to guarantee he would be drafted.
Look back at some of Bronny James' top plays at USC following the announcement that he'll enter the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.
James has the ability to withdraw his name from this year's draft, as well as an additional draft, before becoming automatically eligible the third time he enters his name in the draft, per NBA rules, providing him with significant flexibility moving forward.
Still only 19 years old, James has significant potential he can tap into as a playmaker and scorer, if he can increase his assertiveness on offense. Until then, he remains in a pool of several hundred young players who have work to do in showing NBA teams they can help a team win games.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.