$5.8 million NIL-valued Bronny James' first-year comparisons with Miami Heat star show hope for LeBron James' son

With the NBA draft 2024 talks going around, Bronny James' name has been brought up multiple times. And it is not always in the best light. Rumors of James Jr. joining the Lakers instigated people to scrutinize and rip through his stats. The freshman is averaging 5.7 points with 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, which pales in comparison with some other freshman players' stats.

However, there is hope for the $5.8 million NIL-valued star. A fan on X compared Bronny's stats to those of Jimmy Butler during his first year at Marquette. The Miami Heat forward averaged 5.6 points with 1.8 defensive rebounds, 3.9 rebounds (as opposed to 2.9 mentioned in the tweet) and 0.7 assists.

Jimmy Butler finished his freshman year at Tyler Junior College with an average of 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. This led to an interest from the Division I program, and he joined Marquette on an athletic scholarship as a two-star recruit. In his junior and senior years, Jimmy Butler averaged 14.7 and 15.7 points, respectively.

After joining the Chicago Bulls in 2011 as the 30th pick, Butler continued to grow into the player that he is today. While Bronny James may not have a similar career trajectory, it is safe to assume that he will get better as he plays more hoop.

Should Bronny James declare for the draft this year?

Considering his reduced playing time due to his health scares and below-average performances, it will be better for the guard to extend his college career beyond this season. Many analysts and fans believe that Bronny has not been able to tap into his fullest potential within his first year with the Trojans.

Some fans have gone as far as to claim that Bronny James is not even a Euro basketball potential, let alone the NBA. While this may sound harsh, it presents the ground reality in its fullest effect. James Jr. is just not there yet and if he were to go pro now, his struggle would be immense. The big league is a whole different ball game and Bronny will not be able to impact games much.

The biggest reason why Bronny would have to declare for the draft in 2024 would be his father, LeBron James. Bron has expressed his desire to share the court with his son for at least a season. The 39-year-old is still playing at his best, but nothing is assured and LeBron may be trying to speed things up. Regardless, it would be in Bronny James' best interest that he stays at USC for a couple more years.