Would Bronny James have even played on the Elite NCAA Team?

With the NBA Draft kicking off Wednesday night, a trio of former USC Trojans guards could all be selected at some point in the 58-man draft. Former five-star recruit Isaiah Collier, previously viewed as a guaranteed lottery pick, appears likely to be selected somewhere in the mid-first round. Sharp-shooting five-year guard Boogie Ellis, a two-time All-Pac-12 Teamer and the Trojans’ best player last year, is considered a fringe selection for the second round (he’s currently ranked No. 78 on ESPN’s big board). Their backup, Bronny James, is seen as a lock to be drafted thanks to the possibility, however remote, that his father LeBron James — still an All-Star after 21 seasons — could decline his current option and sign with any team. the 19 year old.

However, the younger James may still have a long way to go in the pros. Longtime New York media personality Chris “Mad Dog” Russo went on “The Dan Patrick Show” to take a swipe at James, a 6-foot-1 combo guard who had a pretty rough outing for USC during his 2023-2024 season with the beleaguered club, which finished 15-18 and missed the NCAA Tournament.

“I don’t think Bronny James is that good. He scored four points a game at USC (Editor’s note: He scored 4.8 points per game, to be exact). I mean, geez. I mean, he would be on the couch. He didn’t even want to play at UConn. So he needs another year of college basketball. That’s the first thing,” Russo said.

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Connecticut won its second straight title last season and is widely seen as the class of the NCAA.

“And if you bring him in and you attack him in the first round, you’re going to hurt your team that way. And then you have to deal with it: you’re going to play against him. You know.” “You bench him, and then you bring in LeBron, and then whoever runs the team, I think it’s a mess,” Russo noted.

Read more: USC Basketball: Bronny James takes part in second practice for West Contender

Bronny James is not expected to advance past the Lakers’ second round pick on Thursday, currently ranked No. 55. If Los Angeles hears that another team plans to take a flier on him sooner, there’s certainly a chance the team makes a trade to secure his services. if it means it will make LeBron happy.

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