"Perfect Marcus Smart replacement" - Bronny James' NBA potential compared to Orlando Magic role player has fans buzzing

As the son of LeBron James, Bronny James is being scouted as one of the NBA's biggest upcoming prospects. A few executives have also given their take on the future of the young star, even comparing him to a role player in the league.

Bronny has played 18 games this season, mostly as an off-the-bench player for the University of Southern California. His freshman season with the USC Trojans has been closely observed by critics and fans. The 6-foot-4 guard has shown signs of brilliance on the court but still has a ton to work on if he wants to make it to the NBA.

A former executive for the Memphis Grizzlies and now a columnist for The Athletic, John Hollinger, gave an NBA comparison to Bronny. According to Hollinger, the young star has an upside similar to Gary Harris of the Orlando Magic. Overall, it's not a terrible comparison as Harris made a name for himself as a great role player.

The former executive also added that Bronny shouldn't be a one-and-done player.

"He’s not a guy who would normally be a one-and-done," Hollinger said.

After this, fans quickly had some thoughts on the comparison given by Hollinger. Here are some of the best reactions from fans.

Bronny still has time to improve his game with the Trojans. He's averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. With those numbers, many have mentioned that James shouldn't declare for the draft immediately and work on his game for another year with USC.

You might also be interested in reading this: "LeBron to Toronto confirmed" - Raptors reportedly scouting Bronny James as 2024 draft target has NBA fans wheezing

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LeBron on Bronny James' draft plans

During the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, LeBron had a chance to speak to the Inside the NBA on TNT crew about the talks around him. One of the biggest topics around him is the draft plans of Bronny James. There's a belief that Bronny will likely declare for the draft after this college season to fulfill his father's wishes to play in the same league.

According to the LA Lakers star, his son has not decided on what his plans are yet.

"It’s up to him, it’s up to the kid," James said. "We’re going to go through the whole process. He’s still in season now. He has the Pac-12 tournament coming up … We’re going to weigh all options and we’re going to let the kid make the decision."

There's still time for Bronny to think carefully about his next step. While many have given their advice that the prospect should stay for another year, there's a chance he could declare for the upcoming draft.