What’s next for Bronny James after NBA draft, transfer announcement

Bronny James introduced Friday morning he plans to enter the NBA draft and the switch portal, leaving open each choices for subsequent season.

In some methods, Friday’s announcement was anticipated — particularly after LeBron James mentioned Tuesday evening that his son has “some powerful selections to make, and when he is able to make these selections, he’ll allow us to all know.”

Since arriving at USC as a top-20 recruit and potential first-round NBA draft choose, the plan seemed to be for James to spend one 12 months in faculty earlier than going professional and becoming a member of his father within the NBA, even perhaps on the identical crew. That plan was upended when James suffered cardiac arrest at a July exercise and spent the subsequent 4 months on the sideline.

He wasn’t cleared to play till late November, and was then eased again in with a constant function within the Trojans’ rotation. USC handled myriad accidents all through the marketing campaign and did not attain the NCAA event, with James averaging 4.8 factors, 2.8 rebounds and a pair of.1 assists in 25 video games, beginning six of them.

Following the season, Andy Enfield left USC for SMU and was changed on Thursday by Eric Musselman, who had spent the previous 5 seasons at Arkansas.

What’s subsequent for James, and the place may he find yourself if he does not go to the NBA? — Jeff Borzello

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How did we get right here?

Myron Medcalf: It most likely begins with Bronny’s recruitment in highschool. Though he was the son of one of many best gamers in NBA historical past, the bluebloods weren’t chasing him. They might see the failings and the event his sport would demand at this degree. However Andy Enfield recruited him as a basketball participant, one he valued for his defensive potential, on-court instincts and bodily maturity. His household revered Enfield’s strategy. Enfield thought he could possibly be an instantaneous contributor.

He has been via loads together with his cardiac arrest in July. Being at USC allowed him to be close to his household in Los Angeles throughout that have. Enfield had been there all through all the ordeal as effectively, and the James household values loyalty. With Enfield gone, Bronny determined to discover his choices. However he isn’t a typical prospect. Regardless of his challenges his freshman 12 months, he’ll achieve NBA curiosity as a result of his father may be part of him. And he’ll draw a highlight wherever he goes if he stays in faculty, too. He has all the time had these choices. He is simply selecting to contemplate them now with Enfield gone.

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What are a few of James’ transferring choices?

Jeff Borzello: LeBron’s former highschool teammate and longtime pal, Dru Joyce, was simply promoted to go coach at Duquesne. For 2 seasons, Joyce had been an assistant below Keith Dambrot, LeBron’s highschool coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio), earlier than Dambrot retired after this season. LeBron constantly posted his assist throughout Duquesne’s run to the NCAA event and likewise broke the information of Joyce’s promotion on X, previously generally known as Twitter. Duquesne would not fairly have the glitz and glam of USC and Los Angeles, however it might permit James to get his faculty profession again on monitor away from the highlight.

Different potential choices may embody a few of the colleges that recruited him earlier than he dedicated to USC. Oregon was concerned throughout his recruitment, and it is logical that Dana Altman would have renewed curiosity — and the heavy Nike affiliation does not harm the Geese. May Ohio State be an choice once more? James and LeBron took a go to to the Buckeyes’ campus within the fall of 2022, and LeBron’s affinity for the college is not a secret. Chris Holtmann is now not the coach in Columbus, however Jake Diebler was on employees when the Buckeyes recruited James, and Diebler is now in cost.

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Does this determination make sense, all issues thought-about?

Medcalf: It does make sense. Each participant with an NBA dream ought to take into account getting into the draft, even when it is just for analysis functions. By these evaluations, Bronny will study extra about the way in which league execs and scouts see his future at this degree. That is a beneficial course of. However his choices most likely contain a switch to a different faculty, maybe a spot the place he can proceed to develop. Both approach, Bronny has to get higher. He did not present something as a freshman at USC to counsel he has an expert future — not constantly, not less than — so it is a clear slate. He is a 12 months faraway from his cardiac arrest. Whatever the choice he selects, even when it is a return to USC, he’ll have a chance to start out contemporary. He can get higher with a brand new regime at USC. He can switch to a spot that can encourage his improvement at one other faculty. Or he can take his probabilities and switch professional. Will probably be fascinating to see which path he selects.

Borzello: It retains James’ choices open. He can enter the NBA draft, he can go to a unique faculty or he may return to USC — though his assertion did not make that final choice appear too probably. It does not harm for James to check the NBA draft waters; he can get respectable suggestions from NBA groups, he can undergo exercises. And if going the professional route does not work out, a switch would not be uncommon for a typical freshman below these circumstances. Following a training change, loads of gamers choose to hit the portal. James and his household haven’t got a lot of a relationship with Musselman and his employees, and James can work on discovering the perfect match for his sophomore season. It is an extremely essential season for James’ improvement after a freshman marketing campaign that hardly obtained off the bottom, and he can now take his time and work out the perfect scenario.