Bronny James is the most well-known name in the 2024 NBA Draft for obvious reasons, despite the fact that he is likely a second-round pick. Reasonable minds can disagree on that assertion, but the truth is that a 6-foot-2 guard who averaged five points in 25 college games would not be on many draft boards, let alone as a potential first-round pick, without the LeBron influence.
But here he is, with a reported workout invitation from as many as ten teams. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James will only visit a few of the teams that have made the offer. The Lakers are one of them. Another is the Phoenix Suns, who have the No. 22 overall pick this season. Charania’s key wording is “among several players under consideration.” Again, Bronny would almost certainly be a second-round pick at best, and possibly not even that if it weren’t for his surname, but Phoenix is looking at him in the late first round as a potential high-floor defensive piece in the mold of Davion Mitchell.
![Charania] The Phoenix Suns will conduct a workout with Bronny James ahead of the June NBA Draft, sources say. Phoenix has the 22nd pick and he is among several players in consideration.](https://external-preview.redd.it/charania-the-phoenix-suns-will-conduct-a-workout-with-v0-SeWX7C2Sljksu_zKEf522mjYUecBMezTXn7C3JqK4EI.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=6c6fc359099b9fcf1926e7efadc2cbafefc602d9)
That’s at least a reasonable comparison for Bronny, and as our Bill Reiter pointed out, it demonstrates Bronny’s undeniable maturity in the face of unprecedented scrutiny as a 19-year-old. He is realistic about his skills. He doesn’t have visions of becoming a superstar. He wants to be the guy who just helps a team win on the margins, and there’s reason to believe he can.
And, hey, if the prospect of his father joining him to play together at the end of his career adds a little more incentive for a team to draft him, so be it. Many late first-round picks, as well as the majority of second-round picks, are pure speculation. Only a few will develop into good league players. Most will be gone in a couple of years.
For what it’s worth, our Colin Ward-Henninger projected Bronny’s top ten landing spots, and the Suns were not among them. Phoenix does not have a second-round pick, and using a first-round pick on Bronny is very risky. But the Suns are at least interested, and it doesn’t hurt to watch him in a workout and sit down with him to pick what appears to be a very mature brain with a high basketball IQ and unusual perspective for such a young man. These are all significant positives on a draft profile, and the interest in Bronny is understandable, regardless of his last name.