Former USC Trojans backup point guard Bronny James, son of the 20-time Los Angeles All-Star LeBron Jameswas selected by his father’s team with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2024 election NBA Draft.
Learn more: Bronny James, son of LeBron, selected by the Lakers in the second round of the NBA draft
The 6-foot-2 Sierra Canyon School product suffered a cardiac arrest at USC’s Galen Center ahead of his 2023-24 freshman season, forcing him to miss training camp and the first month of play.
After that, the younger James seemed to revert to his four-star recruit status all season. In the end, James played in 25 games (including six starts) for the club, behind Utah Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier and Sacramento Kings combo point guard Boogie Ellis. He finished the Trojans’ 15-18 season with disappointing averages of 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per night in 19.3 minutes.
2K Games Digital Marketing Director Ronnie â2Kâ Singh has revealed the ratings for the latest batch of NBA rookies before the release of the league’s first video game, “NBA 2K25,” released on his official X account.
Amid cries of nepotism, Bronny James received a fairly low overall grade of 68 â which is pretty standard for a second-round pick who isn’t likely to be a part of the Lakers’ rotation in 2024-25, much less an impact player for a club desperate to add cost-effective roster depth.
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His Lakers teammate, former University of Tennessee Volunteers forward Dalton Knecht, received an overall grade of 70. That’s the same level given to Knecht’s other first-round picks, Washington Wizards’ Bub Carrington, Miami Heat center Kel’el War, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jared McCain and many others.
Learn more: Bronny James signs multi-year, guaranteed rookie contract with Lakers
Knecht could be a bigger asset for Los Angeles than Bronny James. The 2.08-m guard was one of the best players in the NCAA last year and appears to be a solid option for a Lakers club desperate to shore up its long-range shooting.
An All-American and SEC Player of the Year last season, the 23-year-old has made a splash in Summer League. In his six games with the Purple and Gold in Summer League, Knecht has averaged 18.0 points on .367/.342/.767 shooting percentages, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Bronny James, however, has had a more eventful summer. In his six games in the Las Vegas Summer League and the California Classic, he has averaged 7.0 points on a .327/.130/.625 shooting average, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Learn more: Bronny James scores 13 points, leads Lakers to victory over Cavaliers
Can Bronny James top “NBA 2K25’s predictive score this season remains to be seen. But it will be exciting to find out.
