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Bronny James’ Lakers jerseys aren’t up for sale now, but it feels like it’s just a matter of time before that happens. For the first time in NBA history, a mid-to-low-tier prospect has gotten to handpick his destination in the league, and that’s all because of his last name.
Bronny James’ scouting report shows nothing special. At best, he’s expected to be a defensive-minded guard with a high basketball IQ, and those don’t usually go high in the first round. Then again, being the son of one of the greatest small forwards in NBA history — if not the greatest — there’s not that much to think about.
You don’t get to have a James on your team every day. And while not many of the recent Lakers draft picks have turned out to be good, they do have a solid player development scout.
That’s why today, we’ll explain why they should use their first-round pick to get Bronny, even if he might not be a first-round caliber talent.
Bronny James Lakers Rumors: Why they should draft LeBron’s son
Let’s get things out of the way. For starters, Bronny James isn’t to blame for being LeBron’s son, and he’s reportedly a very intelligent player and a hard-working kid, so there’s always a chance that he’ll end up having a good career.
Also, he wouldn’t be the first player to struggle in college and find success in the pros. He’s been surrounded by professionals his entire life, and they’ve all given him the nod as an NBA-caliber talent.
On top of that, he suffered a major health scare in the offseason, and that undeniably had a major impact on his preparation and the fact that he couldn’t get his college career started in time.
However, it’s not like he was killing it at Sierra Canyon either, and while ESPN had him as a top-10 prospect at one point, we cannot ignore LeBron James‘ leverage, media impact, and the impact that he and Klutch Sports have had.
Even so, the Lakers still must draft him. For starters, this is one of the worst and weakest draft classes in NBA history, so it’s not like they would be passing on an elite prospect to get Bronny. Truth be told, there might not be anything there at all.
Long-term Outlook
On top of that, LeBron’s future and his decisions loom large. He’s more than likely to become a free agent by opting out of his contract, so they must make sure that he stays in sunny California until the end of his career.
James has been vocal about his desire to play with his firstborn, and drafting Bronny would all but secure that he wouldn’t go anywhere.
Of course, it’s hard to envision James moving at this point in his career, but the fact that Bronny had workouts with teams other than the Lakers could make it seem as if he could be willing to take his talents somewhere else for the final passage of his playing days.
Also, Bronny has a privileged gene pool, and the Lakers have had success developing their young players. Worst case-scenario, they have him for depth for a couple of years while LeBron is there and then they can move on from him. Best case-scenario, he ends up being a legitimately good player.
Bronny is the ultimate low-risk/high-reward guy. You know he’s going to put in the work, and he’s got an NBA-ready frame and body.
More than that, they simply cannot afford to be on bad terms with LeBron, who’s known for his passive-aggressive operations.
The post Why the Lakers MUST draft Bronny James appeared first on Franchise Sports.