USC Trojans freshman Bronny James, a former four-star prospect from Sierra Canyon School in the San Fernando Valley, has faced perhaps unfair expectations since he picked up a basketball. The 6’4″ combo guard has yet to truly blossom with the Cardinal and Gold. The team also, despite its highly regarded recruiting class, has not lived up to expectations. It finished its regular season with a 14-17 overall record (8-12 in the Pac-12 Conference).
Bronny’s father, All-Star the Los Angeles Lakers Before LeBron Jameshas made no secret of the fact that he wishes to one day play alongside his son on a NBA court. They even appeared together on a Sports Illustrated cover, alongside Bronny’s little brother Bryce, in an article in which LeBron reiterated his desire to play with both of his children. But as John Hollinger of The Athletic note, it appears that Bronny James will need some additional seasoning in the NCAA and is currently considered too raw a prospect for the league as a whole.
To say that Bronny’s offense hasn’t really flourished would be an understatement. Through 23 games this season (six starts), Bronny is averaging 4.8 points on a .371/.278/.621 slash line, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 19.3 minutes per minute. Not exactly All-Pac-12 numbers.
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However, marginal signs of improvement were observed over the year, in fits and starts. Young James showed a lot of athletic promise on defense. His sack offense has also started to improve a bit. This includes, yes, long-range sniping. He made a particularly impressive trio in a 78-65 upset win over the No. 5 seed Arizona Wildcats on Saturday:
Bronny ultimately scored a total of five points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field. But he played a total of 19 minutes on the floor, mostly thanks to his efforts on the other side of the hardwood, as Hollinger notes. Bronny pulled down six boards, all defensive, and had two interceptions. He impresses his head coach, if not most draftniks, who generally don’t think he’s a real prospect for the 60-person class of 2024.
“This is the best game Bronny has played in a while,” Trojans head coach Andy Enfield said. “He hit that big 3 at the end of the first half to give us some momentum. He was great in every aspect, he really defended, and all those rebounds were at the rim or above, outside its zone.”
Bronny may have been a disappointment in his first collegiate season. But it is okay. Fans and media need to understand that it’s unfair to expect him to ever become his father on the field, even though he could still enjoy a long and successful professional career.
Uncommon knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
