Bronny James officially declares for 2024 NBA Draft, but keeps his options open

It's officially official. Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, will declare for the 2024 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old announced his decision on Instagram. He will also enter the NCAA transfer portal while maintaining his college eligibility.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James' ultimate 2024 draft decision will come down to individual workouts and team evaluations.

In 25 games as a freshman at USC, James Jr. averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on .366/.267/.676 splits in 19.3 minutes.

Bronny James officially declares for 2024 NBA Draft, but also enters transfer portal

It was a challenging freshman campaign for James, to say the least. He missed time early in the season as he recovered from a cardiac arrest, an obstacle exceedingly rare for someone in his age bracket. Once James did return, he faced a minutes crunch in the USC backcourt, not to mention his own general struggles on the court.

While James still has plenty of appeal on the NBA front, it's hard to justify drafting somebody after he averages 4.8 points on 47.2 percent true shooting. Maybe a team desperate to flirt with LeBron James (or the Lakers) decides to toss their hat in the ring, but Bronny would undoubtedly benefit from a second season in college.

He could stay at USC under new head coach Eric Musselman, who figures to re-evaluate the rotation following notable departures, such as projected top-20 pick Isaiah Collier. Or, maybe James does transfer in search of a bigger role. Duquesne, coached by LeBron James' old friend Dru Joyce III, is a popular hypothetical landing spot.

While James struggled to hit shots or produce much at all on the offensive end, it's important to remember that he is 19 years old. James was a four-star recruit who only ever projected as a potential one-and-done prospect because of his connection to LeBron and the extreme weakness of the 2024 draft. He would face even stiffer competition from his peers in the 2025 draft, but James can really improve his stock with a full offseason leading into a more productive sophomore campaign.

Despite his lack of production, NBA teams will be drawn to James' defensive instincts and connective traits. He lacks positional size for a projected wing or combo guard at 6-foot-3, but Bronny is built strong with the ability to guard bigger than his listed height. He has a real nose for the ball (2.3 steals per 100 possessions) and he was a reliable perimeter stopper for the Trojans.

On offense, James' 3-point shooting has long been a strength. His percentages should tick up, although his limitations as a ball-handler and at-rim finisher are notable. James just doesn't have his dad's downhill burst or on-ball wiggle. He's mostly deployed as a spot-up shooter who makes solid decisions in the flow of the offense, moving without the rock and quickly processing the game.

Barring a particularly exceptional stretch of pre-draft workouts, James will probably return to school. With his father's impending free agency and James' obvious family ties at the next level, however, we can't be too certain.