Why Draymond approves of Bronny leaving USC for NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Bronny James turned many heads with his decision to forego his sophomore year at USC to enter the 2024 NBA Draft.
After averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on a 36.6-percent clip from the field and 26.7 percent on 3-pointers, many felt LeBron James’ oldest son needed more time at the NCAA level.
Twelve-year Warriors veteran Draymond Green isn’t one of those people. Instead, he took to “The Draymond Green Show” on Wednesday to explain why James’ decision to enter the draft was the right one.
“Yes, I think Bronny will be a successful player in the NBA,” Green said. “I also think it’s a smart move for him to go in this [2024] NBA draft because this draft is basura. This draft will probably go down as one of the worst in history from a top-talent standpoint… If I’m Bronny, I’m also taking that into account… I can move up even higher because of the lack of talent, my name, who I am, what I bring, [and] what I can grow into. I think it’s a great decision…
“At worst, Bronny is an NBA-level defender that can knock a shot down … a 3-and-D guy — we got those all over the NBA. [He] can pressure the ball and … at worst, be a backup point guard that can pick up full-court, that can put pressure on another team’s lead guard — whether that’s their backup [or] starting guard — [and] can come in and change the tempo on the defensive end.”
Green has a lot of faith in James, despite the 19-year-old having shown signs of inexperience during his only year as a Trojan, which also came after he suffered a cardiac arrest in July.
Interestingly, Green, more than most NBA players, took his time at the collegiate level, elevating from a 3.3-points-per-game scorer to a 16.2-point scorer over his four years at Michigan State.
But Green believes James is a very talented prospect right now. He also is certain James’ work ethic, more than anything, will go a long way in the NBA, and is something that critics overlook when assessing the young guard.
“[Bronny] knows how to work,” Green added. “And if you don’t think he knows how to work, go look at Bronny from his [high school] freshman year to sophomore, sophomore to junior and junior to senior. There, you will see a kid that knows how to work, as you can see the improvement in his game, the improvement in his body, [and] the improvement in his athleticism.
“[Bronny] didn’t shoot the ball all that great this year, but his mechanics are great, he’s always shot the ball great. [There are] a bunch of different factors into why he didn’t shoot the ball well this year. [I’m] not going to overreact to that because I know he can shoot the ball and he can defend.”
No one knows if James will get drafted come June. However, everyone, like Green, knows James is talented.
Plus, there’s the possibility that the team that takes a chance on Bronny will land his dad, too, adding to the noise.
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