Bronny James took a more humble approach when asked about who he models his game around.
The USC product veered away from the obvious comparison, instead comparing his play and saying he hopes to impact winning in the same style as guys like Jrue Holiday, Derrick White or Davion Mitchell, according to ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
With a name as well-renowned as his, it’ll ultimately be hard to steer away from comparisons with LeBron James. However, the guard doesn’t necessarily see himself following in his father’s footsteps.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 210lbs, he wasn’t the same level prospect coming into the league that his father was. The senior James measured at 6-foot-7, 245lbs at his combine in 2003.
So rather than attempting to copy his father’s game and play in the shadow of a basketball legend destined for all-time conversations, he hopes to mimic some of the grittier, defensive guards in the league. A sensible choice for a player whose offensive package has never been the primary highlight of his play.
On Monday, he did show some of his athletic gifts as he measured with a 6-foot-7.25 wingspan and logged a 40.5-inch max vertical, the fourth-highest in his class. As for the players he compared himself to, White had a 36.5-inch vertical and Holiday hit 34.0 inches. Mitchell did not participate.
So physically, James has a good chance of living up to similar marks as the players he looks towards for inspiration.
James’ shooting also stood out in drills, as the guard nailed 19-of-25 of his 3-pointers in the star shooting drill which was second-best at the prospect showcase.
However, he struggled in the first scrimmage of the day, shooting 2-for-8 from the field and 0-for-4 for four points while also notching four rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes.
His one year at USC wasn’t exactly a great showcase of his skills either, as he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals in 19.3 minutes per game. However, he came into the season late after suffering a cardiac arrest before the year started and only suited up for 25 games with the Trojans.
“It was a tough time, for sure,” he said on Tuesday. “All this work that I put in, it just really built me into someone that would never give up. It paid off because I put in the work after that situation, and I’m back to where I want to be.”
He was also asked on Tuesday about potentially playing alongside his father and what it would mean to him but said that it isn’t his priority.
“When I get there, I don’t think it would be just like me and my dad,” James said. “I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad. That’s not my mindset right now at all. I’m just trying to put in the work and see where it takes me from there.”
LeBron James has said in the past that it’s his dream to play alongside his son and hopes to do so before he eventually retires from the league. He veered away from that at the end of the Lakers’ season, saying that it’s not the end-all, be-all.
Bronny reiterated that sentiment on Tuesday.
“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself and, of course, get to the NBA,” he said. “I never thought about playing with my dad. But of course, he’s brought it up a couple times.”