Bronny James clears first hurdle towards NBA Draft selection

Last month, Bronny James announced that he was entering both the NBA Draft and the transfer portal. As a USC Trojan, James made just six starts during the season and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25 games. He looks the part of a run-of-the-mill draft hopeful -- except he has LeBron James' genetics.

The league announced this year's NBA Draft Combine participant list, including this year's top prospects. The list features 78 players from across the world, including Bronny.

This year's combine will take place from May 12-19 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriot Marquis in Chicago. There will also be a select number of players from the 2024 NBA G League Elite Camp who will be invited to the combine following their respective events.

But this is a step in the right direction for Bronny, considering he did not have the anticipated season at USC. James still has until May 29 to decide whether to remain in the draft or return to college. So, he will be able to test the waters in the combine before deciding on the deadline.

Bronny James gets first sign of good news in NBA Draft process

Bronny James' draft stock is a confusing proposition. While his stats are weaker compared to many other players, this year's draft class is also a weaker class compared to others in the past decade. But he does have great playmaking abilities and an incredible basketball IQ, just like LeBron. His defending at USC was also standout with highlight blocks and steals that led to efficient fast breaks.

However, he needs to improve in many different areas, such as shooting. Especially his three-point shooting, as he only shot 26.7 percent from long range on 2.4 attempts per game.

He is not ranked highly by many draft experts nor does he appear in hardly any first-round mock drafts. However, being able to show his talents at the combine can be his chance to show recruits he is better than many think.

LeBron does have a player option for the next NBA season and can create an easy path for the son and father to pair up next season. The Los Angeles Lakers have a second-round pick for this year's draft, and the New Orleans Pelicans own the Lakers first-round pick and have the right to receive their 2025 first-round pick instead. So it's not impossible for the two Jameses to team up.

The Athletic reported on Monday that the Lakers are "open to the prospect" of drafting Bronny.

Bronny will need approval from the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel before he can become eligible to participate in team workouts, the draft combine in May, or be selected in the draft due to the cardiac arrest that he suffered earlier in the year.