NBA insider evaluates Bronny James’ draft stock, chances of joining LeBron with Lakers

The hype is beginning to feel real around Bronny James.

Originally, On3 took some heat for being the first Recruiting Media Service to rank Bronny James as a five-star recruit, and ESPN’s Jonathon Givony also caught flack for mocking LeBron James’ eldest son as an NBA lottery selection in his first 2024 NBA Mock Draft. Now, after James has continued to ascend and impress, many are wondering just how high he can climb.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN has followed LeBron James’ career from the beginning, and now he’s watching Bronny James’ stock inflate. Joining the crew on Keyshawn, JWill and Max on Wednesday morning following the youngster’s performance in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Windhorst evaluated Bronny James’ potential, believing we could see him climb even higher moving forward.

“When Jonathan Givony, who’s been scouting players for 20 years, put him in the lottery in his first mock draft for 2024, my jaw dropped, but definitely he has improved dramatically in the last year,” explained Windhorst. “The other thing that Givony says, is that the 2024 class happens to be not be very deep.

“So when you think of the 2024 NBA Draft, also think about the level of prospects in that draft. Now, it’s a year away. It’s you know, 15 months away. This class could have a completely different view point after a year, after we see everybody develop. Bronny could be 6-foot-5. But right now, 2024 looks like not the greatest class, which favors Bronny.”

While Bronny James’ draft stock is improving, one thing Windhorst noted is his chances of being drafted by the Lakers to play with his father are waning. Simply put, he may be too good to fall to Los Angeles’ selection.

LeBron James has made his mission clear, he will play with his son when the time comes, and he’s lined his contract up for it to come to fruition. Evidently, the Lakers could be the odd man out in the scenario.

“The other thing is, in this weird thing, if Bronny is a lottery pick or a mid-first round pick, it’s going to make it harder for LeBron to play with him,” added Windhorst. “Any team can acquire a second round pick. I mean, Bronny could even try to get teams to not draft him if he wanted to, and sign with the Lakers. But if he becomes a guy that teams want to use a mid-first round pick on, the Lakers may not be able to get in there, and LeBron’s going to be a free agent.

“He’s made it very clear it’s his super goal. So, that’s not a conversation for March 2023, but it could be a conversation for March 2024.”

Nevertheless, it’s evident Bronny James is on the path to stardom. He already holds the highest On3 NIL Valuation in the country at $7.2M projected annually, as well as a five-star rating. The future is bright for LeBron’s eldest, even if that future takes the father-son duo out of Los Angeles.