Rachel Nichols Says Lakers Will Draft Bronny James If LeBron James Wants To Play With Him

Nichols stated that Bronny's averages this past season at USC of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game don't accurately represent how good he can be, as he did suffer that cardiac arrest last year. She added that if LeBron told the Lakers that he would like to play with Bronny, then they would draft him in the second round.

Nichols also pointed out that we still don't know for sure whether Bronny wants to play with his father. We have seen LeBron go from stating how he wants to play with his son to saying it's down to what the 19-year-old wants to do. If Bronny decides he wants to start his career on a different team than LeBron, I doubt the 20-time All-Star would try to force him to change his mind. 

The only thing, at this point, that does seem fairly clear is that if both sides want to play together then that's what will happen. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has always treated her superstars well, and if LeBron puts in that request, she is very unlikely to reject it.

Shams Charania Says Teams Think Bronny James Is Entering The League As An NBA-Caliber Defender

While some don't think the younger James is ready to play in the NBA, it appears that the teams in the league disagree. Shams Charania is reporting that teams believe Bronny will enter the league as an NBA-caliber defender. 

"When I talk to NBA teams there's a clear consensus that as a defender, he's already at that caliber of an NBA defender. We know about his basketball IQ, obviously, great genes there. Shooting, offensive game, ball-handling, I think those are things scouts and talent evaluators will keep an eye on as he goes through the pre-draft process."

Charania stated that this draft class not being a great one does help Bronny. He also added that Rich Paul and Klutch Sports will ultimately ensure the teenager finds himself in the right situation.

Wherever he lands, former NBA star Baron Davis believes we will see him play better than he did at USC. Davis predicts Bronny will be much better in the NBA than in college. He also added that he wants to see the father-son duo play on the same team, as that would be special.