Experts love Lakers selection of Bronny James at No. 55
Some may be upset about Bronny James becoming a Laker, but the experts agree it’s an excellent move for the franchise.
As virtually everyone expected, the Lakers selected Bronny James on Thursday with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the NBA Draft.
The Lakers’ first round pick, Dalton Knecht, was loved by experts all the way around, but how do people feel about the drafting of Bronny to Los Angeles?
Here are the grades the Lakers are getting on this selection.
Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation
Grade: B
James’ freshman year at USC started with a terrifying heart episode early in the offseason, and he never really found his footing after that. James is short for a guard at 6’1.5 barefoot, but he has long arms, a strong chest, and a good mentality for a role player. James isn’t a big scorer, but he fights for loose balls, defends bigger players, and spaces the floor as a three-point shooter. He needs to shoot it at a high level to stick in the NBA, but he’s shown enough at the high school level at Sierra Canyon to have a chance to stick.
Danny Chau, The Ringer
Grade: A+
Just as the prophecy—or Rich Paul’s strong-arming—foretold, Bronny is a Laker. The son of a legend will now be on the same roster, the first father-son duo in NBA history. James’s game is conspicuously understated. He is a defensive-minded guard with good physical tools. The kind of player that good teams tend to have in spades. It’s kind of an ordinary pitch, which presents a strange juxtaposition to the hype, anti-hype, and LeBron-by-proxy vitriol that’s been lobbed his way. There was no other team in the league more attuned to what Bronny can or can’t be. If the Lakers can coax some actual makes out of his aesthetically pleasing shooting mechanics, it will go a long way toward blocking out the noise.
Krysten Peek, Yahoo Sports
Grade: B+
As expected, Bronny James is headed to the Lakers to join his dad, LeBron, as the first father-son duo to share the court in NBA history. LeBron has said numerous times that he wants to end his career playing alongside his son, and agent Rich Paul did everything he could to deter any other team from taking him. Bronny is far from a finished product, but the skills he does have currently translate to the NBA with his 6-foot-7 wingspan and how well he can contain the perimeter.
Adam Finkelstein & Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
Grade: B
As expected, the Lakers unite LeBron James with his eldest son, Bronny, pairing the two in purple and gold. Bronny struggled last season with USC after suffering sudden cardiac arrest last summer and beginning the season recovering from the incident. He’s a toolsy defender with a high IQ who plays hard and smart, though, and in time I think we’ll find that this developmental pick was more than just ceremonial to make “The King” happy
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
Grade: B
Bronny James is a direct descendent of NBA royalty as the firstborn son of LeBron James.
He’s also now a teammate of his father–or he will be as soon as LeBron picks up his player option or re-signs with the Lakers this summer.
The significance of this selection is enormous. The league has never seen a simultaneous father-son tandem before. Now, this historic pairing comes together in the Hollywood spotlight. It’s an incredible story.
Bronny is less than incredible as a prospect, but he’s decent. That depends on how you view his outlook as a shooter and scorer in general, though.
He defends with strength, energy and sound instincts, and he has the right blend of shot-making and court vision to potentially fill a complementary role at some point. He just needs plenty of polish to fill a support role one day. Bronny has some theoretical three-and-D appeal, but the list of 6’2” three-and-D NBA players is not a long one.
The Lakers probably needed to select Bronny to feel good about their future with LeBron, and it’s impossible not to factor that into the evaluation of this pick. The fact that Bronny has some interesting attributes helps, though.
Kyle Irving, Sporting News
Grade: A
There it is. The Lakers will make Bronny and LeBron the first-ever father-son duo in NBA history. The USC freshman has plenty of untapped potential to be accessed as a tenacious perimeter defender, solid perimeter shooter and growing playmaker. He’s the type of 3-and-D prospect who typically plays well off a passer like his dad.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.