The NBA Draft Combine is not nearly as heralded an event as the NFL version, but this year’s edition is particularly interesting because there is not a consensus top star. That means more prospects are going through full drills to try and show off their athleticism and separate themselves from the rest.
The players that tend to get the most out of the Combine are those further down draft boards, who can impress in Chicago and force teams to look closer at their tape and give them more opportunities for workouts. For Bronny James, the Combine was a chance to remind teams of his various skills and gifts that make him an NBA prospect. After being medically cleared to enter the NBA by the league’s medical panel, James set out to show that he’s NBA ready.
After a rough year at USC, with plenty of good reasons for why he struggled, the Combine was a chance to give teams a new data point to analyze and consider going into Draft season. The eldest of LeBron James’ children did just that, as he got hot in the shooting drills, showing off his shot from NBA range by hitting 19-of-25 in the star shooting drill — one of the top performances at the Combine.
Bronny James just crushed the 3-point star shooting drill at the NBA draft combine. 19/25, good for second place. pic.twitter.com/50UVXXy3GY
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 14, 2024
James, who measured in at just over 6’1, 210 pounds with a 6’7 reach, needs to show that he has the athleticism and skill to make up for a smaller frame. That wingspan number is very good for his height and shows up on tape (along with his strength) in his defensive ability even at a shorter height. As for the athleticism portion, James jumped 40.5 inches in the max vert, showing off the bunnies.
40 1/2 inch max vertical leap for Bronny James at the NBA draft combine pic.twitter.com/InbqO1i2uL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
It’s important to note that a good showing at the Combine isn’t something that will move someone up or down a draft board on its own. That said, for James, he showed the things he needed to show teams to pique their interest and have them look even more closely at him throughout the process, as they try to figure out how much of last year was an aberration due to his health situation and USC’s overall struggles. Teams will want him to continue showing that shooting ability in workouts, but considering that will be a swing skill for James as he looks to stick somewhere in the league, this was a very good start.