High major coaches and NBA Draft experts give their scouting reports on Bronny James

Bronny James is going to college; at least that is the direction all the signs point. In the past week, On3 reported offers from Memphis and Southern California for the four-star guard. On3 has also reported Oregon and Ohio State are heavily recruiting James.

With the college route looking probable, I wanted to get with high major college coaches to get their perspective of James’ game. Being that Bronny’s dad, LeBron James, has been vocal about playing with Bronny in the NBA, I also spoke with NBA Draft experts to get their take on James as an NBA Draft prospect.

Here are the scouting reports they gave On3.

High Major college coaches

Big Ten coach: “He’s really good! A smart and cerebral guard with a college-ready body. Bronny is a gifted passer and bouncy and strong enough to finish through contact. He does a little bit of everything well.”

Big 12 coach: ‘I love him. He is going to be a hell of a player. He’s not a typical celebrity kid; he plays hard and plays to win. I don’t think he’s a true point guard, but he can play on the ball some. He is a legitimate top-50 guy in the class; there aren’t too many guards in the class clearly better than him. He can score, gets into the paint, he’s strong, and legitimately competes; with his natural competitiveness, you wouldn’t know he is a billionaire’s son. By his second year in school, he should be a double-digit scorer for a really good program.”

ACC coach: “Bronny James will be an asset to any program that gets him. He has a terrific feel/IQ for the game. He makes great decisions with the ball in his hands. Bronny has really improved his shot-making over the past year. I’ve been most impressed by his poise and ability to be unbothered despite getting each opponent’s best effort and the huge following he has every time he steps on the floor.”

Big 12 coach: “There clearly is something to the sons of great NBA players developing late into NBA prospects, and I see that as the likely trajectory for Bronny. If he were three inches taller, that would be the almost inescapable conclusion, but his lack of height to me is his lone long-term deficit. If he continues to develop at the present rate, I could see him carving out a significant NBA niche and making a great living. And if he grows a couple more inches, I could clearly see him being an NBA starter over time.

ACC coach: “We never really recruited him, but from what I’ve seen, he has a high basketball IQ. He has a quick first step and is an explosive athlete. He needs to be more consistent from three. I like that he plays hard.”

NBA Draft experts

Derek Murray of Babcock Hoops

At 6-foot-3, Bronny James has a strong frame with good length and functional athleticism. On offense, he excels on straight line drives, and finishes plays well around the rim (97th percentile at Peach Jam per Synergy). He has also been a somewhat streaky shooter to this point in his career but showed great flashes and improvement in Augusta, knocking down 37.8 percent from deep, including some tough off-the-dribble jumpers.

Per Cerebro Sports‘ metrics, only Duke commit Caleb Foster had a better Peach Jam among ‘Modern Guards’ archetype at the 17u level, putting James in elite company.

While it’s highly ambitious to project a draft range more than two years out for a prospect, I do believe Bronny is an NBA player due to his size, shot creation, and facilitation skills. I am possibly looking at a mid-first round to early second round projection if I had to make one today. (check out Derek’s work here)

Evan Tomes of NBADraft.net

Bronny James is skilled and talented. You can see his improved athleticism over the past year, and he’s a solid passer overall. As far as an NBA Draft prospect, I think it’s important to be patient and let him continue to develop. It’s easy for mainstream media and casual fans to microscope in and track his every move. Still, we can often get carried away, and expectations can often get carried away for ‘celebrity prospects.’

Again, he is talented, and the NBA may be in his future, but we’re (nbadraft.net) not looking too far ahead of the 2024 NBA draft at this point. His EYBL shooting splits hoovered around 35/30/65, so there is room for improvement, and again, patience is key. (check out Evan’s work here)