Jay Williams believes Bronny James demonstrates NBA traits, ‘plays the game like a veteran’

Bronny James took center stage on Tuesday night in the McDonald’s All-American Game and didn’t disappoint. The son of LeBron James will always garner attention because of his namesake, but on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’, former collegiate standout and current analyst Jay Williams broke down traits and style of play.

“Look Greeny, I am a fan of Bronny James,” Williams said. “He has a high basketball IQ, I think he’s an elite athlete, I think he understands positioning, and he was probably the best shooter on the floor at the McDonald’s All-American Game last night.”

It’s hard to deny that James was the best shooter on the floor Tuesday night in Houston as he scored 15 points all exclusively from behind the arc, burying five of his eight three-point attempts.

“Is he DJ Wagner? No. Nobody is saying that he is DJ Wagner and I know he’s going to get a lot of attention obviously because of his father being one of the greatest of all time. But at the end of the day Bronny James is a serviceable player who is an elite athlete who understands how to play, he plays the game like a veteran at a young age,” Williams said.

Wagner is currently ranked the No. 3 overall prospect of the 2023 class according to On3’s Industry Top Basketball Rankings and the No. 1 combo guard, with James ranked No. 27. overall and the No. 5 combo guard. Wagner ended the night with 19 points, but there’s no question that James fit right in amongst the best high school players the nation has to offer.

“Greeny is he gets a little bit taller with his size and his frame with the way he plays, he is a legitimate player that can be taken in the top 20 of the draft,” Williams said. “He belonged last night on the court, people were wondering whether or not he belonged, that young man knows how to play the game.”

James is one of the few top senior prospects that’s yet to commit or sign to a school yet. He’s received offers from Ohio State, USC, Memphis, North Carolina Central, and North Carolina A&T, and while many are curious which school he’ll attend, many are even more curious about his next move.

LeBron James has vocalized that he wants to one day share the floor with his children at the NBA level, and that reality continues to become more and more possible as Bronny continues to grow and develop. All eyes will be on Bronny as he transitions to the collegiate or semi-professional level, but even more eyes will be on him and his father the closer he gets to potentially playing in the NBA.