"He is a shell of himself the entire season": College hoops analyst provides an overview of Bronny James' basketball season with the USC Trojans

With the 2024 NBA Draft Combine nearing its culmination, analysts, scouts, and everyone else watching closely have already made their opinions known on this year`s prospects. Specifically, for USC`s Bronny James, it seems that while there`s doubt, people might be forgetting how challenging his comeback has been from his major health scare.

Kyle Boone of CBS Sports talked to Krysten Peek of On The Clock about how his performance in the Combine may have greatly improved his draft stock, despite his struggles during his freshman year at USC:

"There`s obviously questions about his game and how he's gonna fit into the NBA because he wasn't a huge star at USC. And I think he answered some questions on that front this week, talking about. I wanna be like Jrue Holiday, I wanna be someone who can embrace my role. I don`t expect I'm going to be a superstar in the NBA, but I do expect to compete," said Boone.

Peek then adds that while James' struggles during his lone college season were apparent, it was still an amazing comeback considering what he had to go through:

"I think people are forgetting that Bronny James had open heart surgery in August and was back on the court in December. To make that turnaround is insanely incredible.

It's unheard of. So he's back on the court, he is a shell of himself the entire season, he's trying to adjust to a new offense, trying to adjust to the pace of the college game, so to say that he should've gone back, his game doesn't translate is totally unwarranted."

Bronny James' numbers at SoCal are nothing to write home about, though his performances during the Combine despite a few other shortcomings have certainly opened some eyes.

Where will Bronny James potentially end up in the draft?

Numerous sources believe that James is now at most a late second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, barring any other issues.

The Utah Jazz have emerged as among the frontrunners to potentially draft the 6-foot-2 Trojans guard at the 32nd overall selection. According to reports, the organization has expressed a desire to invite Bronny James for a private workout. It is also said that their plans to draft Bronny could also be their ploy for luring LeBron James out of LA and into Salt Lake City.

Going back to Kyle Boon's projections, Bronny getting drafted at around the 55 mark could land him with the Lakers and make LeBron's longstanding dream of playing with his son a reality (via NBA.com).