Bronny James NBA draft: Latest ESPN mock draft lowers LeBron's son’s expectations, dropping him out of the 2024 list

Bronny James' draft stock worsens as he struggles to find his feet at USC. The point guard has failed to hit the ground running in college basketball. He has mostly been unimpressive since he debuted in December, despite being a top-20 prospect in his class.

In the latest mock draft by ESPN’s experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Bronny James is no longer considered for the 2024 NBA draft. This is undoubtedly a big hit for the dream of LeBron James to play alongside his son in the NBA, preferably on the same team.

Instead, the USC freshman is now seen as a prospect for the 2025 NBA draft by ESPN. ESPN's 2025 mock draft by Givony and Woo did not project Bronny as a first-round pick. Instead, he is positioned in the second round at No. 39 overall.

Timeline of Bronny James' fall in ESPN’s mock draft

Coming out of Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles in 2023, Bronny was a consensus four-star prospect aided by his performance in his senior season. At this time, he was considered a lottery pick for the 2024 NBA draft by Jonathan Givony in his way-too-early mock draft.

However, a cardiac arrest ruled him out for a couple of months. Further, his unimpressive performance since returning to action for the Trojans had a hit on his draft stock. Bronny James went undrafted in ESPN's mock draft conducted by Givony and Woo in January.

He has gone from becoming an undrafted prospect to a prospect not considered for the 2024 NBA draft. With an average of 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game this season, the point guard has not done too much to deserve a spot in the upcoming draft.

Bronny James could still get drafted

Bronny James has not had a standout college basketball season with USC. But the freshman is still in contention for the upcoming NBA draft.

The potential selection in the draft is attributed to the influence of his father, LeBron James. LeBron wants to play alongside his son on the same team professionally.

Several NBA teams are reportedly contemplating selecting Bronny in the upcoming draft. This is in a bid to get the opportunity of having LeBron on their roster for the next NBA season.

The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Toronto Raptors are among the teams that show interest in LeBron. Further, the Los Angeles Lakers are considering this move to facilitate LeBron James exercising his one-year option.