ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Bronny James: 'I think he can end up being a lottery pick' in 2024 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft took place Thursday night, but chatter is already starting for the 2024 draft. One of the more intriguing prospects is Bronny James, son of LeBron and soon-to-be USC guard whose star rose on the recruiting trail.

He could continue to improve his stock at USC — maybe even to lottery-pick status if he becomes a one-and-done, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Givony joined Hannah Storm on SportsCenter Friday and talked about what James’ ceiling is. Of course, his father went No. 1 overall in the decorated 2003 NBA Draft, and Givony said Ron Holland could make a case to go atop the board in 2024.

As for where that leaves James, considering the progress he made as a recruit, Givony said he might be able to play his way into the top 15 picks if he stays on his current trajectory.

“Bronny James is the No. 17-projected player in our draft class,” Givony said. “He has a very high floor because of his frame, his defensive instincts, the way he can make spot-up jumpers, his feel for the game, his competitiveness, his versatility.

“Bronny James is as improved a player as any prospect in this class projected to the high school group of [2023], which is about to come into college. You look at his genetics and the trajectory that he’s on, the sky is the limit for Bronny James. I think he can end up being a lottery pick, ultimately.”

More on Bronny James

James was a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon (CA) and came in as the No. 25 overall prospect in the nation from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 was the only service to rank James as a five-star.

He arrived on USC’s campus earlier this month as the Trojans get ready for summer workouts, and the Trojans recently announced he’ll wear No. 6 — just like his father does for the Los Angeles Lakers. James was one of multiple highly ranked recruits to make their way to Los Angeles, including Isaiah Collier, who was the No. 1 player in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking. All told, USC brought in the No. 4-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

James has also developed quite the social media following, totaling a combined 13 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. That’s a big reason why he has an On3 NIL Valuation of $6.8M, which puts him at No. 1 in the On3 NIL 100 — the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college student-athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.