Michael Jordan's Son Marcus Had A Better Freshman College Season Than LeBron James' Son Bronny

The USC Trojans season ended with a 15-18 record, with the team unlikely to get an invite for March Madness. Bronny James' freshman season is officially in the books, with LeBron James' son going through a turbulent year where he averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 37.4% shooting from the field.

Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, never made it to the NBA or was as highly touted as Bronny has been. Despite his supposed status as a failed NBA players, Marcus averaged 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals on 41.3% shooting from the field in his freshman season with the University of Central Florida in 2009-10.

Both players play as guards with a similar body type, but Bronny had a host of other issues that hurt his assimilation into NCAA basketball. Bronny suffered from a cardiac arrest before the season, being away from the team for months as he got surgery and recovered before being cleared to return to the team in January. 

He didn't play until January and couldn't get into a rhythm based on his limited minutes and weaker understanding of the USC schemes. He was also not the primary guard, with Isaiah Collier being their main high-profile guard option. 

This isn't to say Marcus was a phenomenal player at the college level. He was a perfectly servicable point guard for three seasons, averaging 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.9 steals on 39.3% shooting from the field over his college career. TCF was never good enough in this span to compete for a title, but Jordan clearly found a modicum of success in college that Bronny is still chasing.

Marcus' NBA dreams were never taken with as much seriousness as Bronny's, with a public campaign for LeBron to team up with his son to become the first father-son duo in NBA history to share a court together.

Will Bronny Still Declare For The 2024 NBA Draft?

Bronny James' draft stock is very low at the moment, with executives questioning if he's of sufficient quality to succeed in the NBA. An anonymous Eastern Conference executive recommended that Bronny spend another season in college.

"I don't know if he's going to come back [to school]. We'd recommend he go back, just because this season didn't get off on the right foot. He was behind due to the cardiac episode, being away from the team, the rehab, etc. So I think going back and continuing to fine-tune these skills [would help], because the offseason is when you really develop stuff."

There's an obvious asterisk around Bronny's draft value, as it opens up even a slim chance of a team in the NBA selecting him and enticing LeBron to join. Even if Bron isn't the one-man Finals machine he was through the 2010s, his presence alone could be worth hundreds of millions in revenue for a franchise. 

Even a supermax contract wouldn't be enough to cover how much a franchise stands to gain financially if LeBron ends up signing with them. Even if Bronny declares this season, he'll likely find a home in the NBA, potentially with the Lakers itself.

We have seen many current NBA stars have really bad seasons in college, even if it was only for one year before declaring. Star guards like Zach LaVine, Kyle Lowry, and even Devin Booker had unspectacular college seasons. Role players like Peyton Watson, Dereck Lively II, and Jalen Johnson entered the draft in recent seasons after really bad college seasons.

Bronny has an NBA skill set with solid defensive fundamentals, floor-stretching ability, and other intangibles that are solid for a role player in the NBA. He might never be a star, but he could find a place, even if he declares this season instead of returning to USC.