NBA – After his disasterclass, the focus is firm on Bronny James: “It’s not…

Le joueur NCAA Bronny James sous les couleurs des USC Trojans

NCAA player Bronny James in the colors of the USC Trojans

Always closely watched given his last name, Bronny James has been going through a delicate period on the NCAA courts for several days. His last match earned him strong criticism, which an NBA veteran came to counterbalance.

Some would tend to forget it, but he can consider himself a miracle. Victim of a cardiac arrest last summer, Bronny James was fortunately able to continue his career as a young basketball player. He therefore made his big debut in the NCAA in December and has since been trying to find his feet there while getting noticed by NBA scouts. A mission that he has, however, struggled to fulfill recently.

Austin Rivers defends Bronny James

After a few warm-up matches, Bronny showed good individual form at the start of January, even to the point of attracting the attention of a big franchise. However, it has now been two games since he has scored a single point, the last of which saw him finish with a pitiful 0/7 shooting in 25 minutes. Unsurprisingly, some Internet users have not spared him on the web and are predicting a dark future for him:

Oops, I guess it’s Bryce that Bron will ultimately have to wait for in the league.

Like this detractor, many observers consider that the young guard does not have the level to claim a future in the NBA. Conversely, others strive to assert that he does not simply owe his hype to his status as the eldest son of LeBron James. It is also in this second camp that Austin Rivers falls, who came to his defense on the microphone of his podcast Off Guard:

Bronny James? I have no doubt that he can play in the NBA. We all know that he can shoot, that he is athletic, that he knows how to defend well, that he has a high basketball IQ and that he can play on a winning team.

So, according to the experienced combo-guard, Bronny has enough qualities to get a place in the league, and what’s more, on a good team. However, we should not expect him to become a franchise player:

I wouldn’t draft Bronnny James to be Ja Morant, nor to be Jayson Tatum. They’re not that type of players. It’s not to get these kinds of profiles that you draft Bronny James. These are teams like Boston, Miami, Milwaukee or Denver who are drafting Bronny James.

If he still struggles to compile big statistics on the university circuit, Bronny James no longer seems to need to convince Austin Rivers that he will deserve his place in the NBA. It remains to be seen whether the Celtics, the Heat, the Bucks or the Nuggets will offer it to him.