Why the NBA should hope no one drafts Bronny James in Round 1

Bronny James is headed to the NBA. It just might be better for the league if he's not a first-round pick.

Despite his decision to forego a return to college hoops and remain in the pool of prospects for the 2024 NBA Draft, there's no guarantee that James will hear his name called within the first 30 picks. 

His draft stock has risen since the end of his lone year at USC, but analysts like ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo still have James comfortably in second-round territory.

The second round is traditionally where many rookies end up signing two-way contracts with the expectation that they'll split time between the NBA and G-League, though James' agent Rich Paul has been adamant that James' future won't follow that path. 

Getting selected in that range might not be ideal for James personally, but it could very well be a boon for the NBA.

That's because the league is turning the NBA Draft into a two-night affair for the first time. The first round will take place from Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 26, with the second round following from ESPN's Seaport District Studios in Manhattan on June 27.

Ostensibly, the NBA expanded the draft to two nights to allow teams to have more time to make trades, especially those involving second-round picks — which get shipped around en masse these days. But many sports pundits believe the NBA also looks with envy at the way the NFL has turned its own draft into a multi-day spectacle and wants in on that action as well.

No one but the most hardcore basketball fans would likely watch a second night of coverage most years, but as Front Office Sports notes, James is no ordinary prospect. If he slips out of Round 1, as expected, the curiosity and hype will only build as the sports world waits to see if a team selects James in the hopes of uniting him with his more famous (and potentially free agent) father.

The NBA couldn't ask for a better hook to entice people to tune in for two nights of draft coverage, and if it can snag a few million this year, perhaps they'll grow accustomed to watching both rounds going forward.

While you're waiting to see if James lands somewhere that makes the most sense, the ratings storyline is definitely one to keep in the back of your head.