Bronny James breaks his silence after declaring for 2024 NBA Draft

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Bronny James took to Instagram to thank the University of Southern California following his decision to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while simultaneously entering the transfer portal in order to maintain his college eligibility.

At least one former Los Angeles Lakers player is very high on James, as Metta Sandiford-Artest said not too long ago that he believes the 19-year-old has what it takes to be a starting point guard in the NBA.

“I think he has a good option,” Sandiford-Artest told TMZ Sports when asked what advice he would give James. “… He’s very athletic. I still think he hasn’t grown into his body yet. So, I don’t know if he’s going to be top 50 all time. But in terms of his ability to become a really good player, a starting point guard, I think he’ll be a point guard. He obviously can play the 2. But I think with his unselfish play, with his passing ability, like I said, he’s only a freshman.

“So, a lot of people was talking about his numbers, but name a freshman that never averaged more than four or five and then had no chance going pro. Freshman numbers are freshman numbers, right? So, I think he has a shot to be a really good point guard, a starting point guard, maybe even an All-Star.”

James played in 25 games (six starts) with the Trojans in his freshman season and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game on subpar scoring efficiency, as he converted just 36.6 percent of his shots from the floor and 26.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.

While James’ numbers don’t indicate that he was one of the best players in the nation, it’s important to take his stats with a grain of salt considering the role he played for the Trojans. After all, he averaged just 19.3 minutes per game as a freshman.

He recorded 10.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks per 40 minutes, which highlights the fact that he served as a jack of all trades as a Trojan.

The guard scored 10 or more points in just three of the 25 games he appeared in with the Trojans. He scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from 3-point range in USC’s loss to Oregon State University on Dec. 30.

James was arguably most impactful on the defensive side of the ball in his first season of college basketball. He racked up at least one steal in 14 of his 25 games and finished with two steals on five occasions.

Whether or not James will play in the NBA in the 2024-25 campaign is still very much unclear. Jonathan Wasserman had James going undrafted in his latest mock draft, so it seems possible that the youngster could opt to play another season of college basketball, considering he still has his college eligibility.