Bronny James medically cleared, will participate in NBA Draft Combine, reportedly will stay in draft
Bronny James — who suffered a cardiac arrest on the court while working out at USC last summer — has been cleared to play by the NBA and will participate in the NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago.
Bronny came back from that frightening medical problem to play in 25 games for USC, but he had to be cleared by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel to take part in the Combine and enter the draft, and that has happened reports Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN. While players at the top of the NBA Draft board limit their participation in this week's Combine, for players headed to the second round or undrafted — like Bronny — this is a chance to show off their skills and athleticism to scouts and GMs, as well as meet with some of them. Bronny will participate in the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the Combine, ESPN reports.
Bronny is expected to keep his name in the NBA Draft, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. How things go at the Combine will certainly impact that decision.
Multiple scouts have told NBC Sports they see Bronny as having NBA potential but needing a lot of development to fulfill it. He largely came off the bench at USC and did not play his natural point guard position much of the time. Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Bronny, listed at USC as 6'4", is a good athlete and a high IQ player who could develop into a high-level NBA defender, but the offensive side of his game needs a lot of work — particularly his playmaking.
If Bronny keeps his name in the 2024 NBA Draft (he can return to college and enter the transfer portal) he likely will get picked up in the second round by a team hoping to tap that potential — and gain favor with his father, LeBron James, which is why the Lakers are open to picking him. Bronny likely will get a lot of games in the G-League to work on his skills and develop that potential.
