USC guard Bronny James is an incredibly polarizing 2024 NBA Draft prospect and it’s not just because of who his father is. A player whose impact is immediately identifiable on film, James’ statistical output leaves a lot to be desired. Consequently, there’s not just a lot of variance in his projected draft range, there are many wondering if James is ready to be a pro at all.
Stephon Marbury Comes to Bronny James’ Defense
Stephon Marbury, the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, is the latest star to discuss how Bronny James measures up as a draft prospect. Making an appearance on the Ball Don’t Stop podcast with host Ekam Nagra, Marbury says: “First, I think that Bronny’s a pro.”
“Bronny James is a pro. You can’t go by stats with him right now because he’s only playing half the game. His ability to shoot, get to the rim, pass and block shots is grade A. One more year of college will help.”
– Stephon Marbury on Bronny pic.twitter.com/DlOlVJHiAs
— Ball Don’t Stop (@balldontstop) March 4, 2024
“… He’s playing 20 minutes, which is half the game in college. I think he needs to play more to be able to make more mistakes and to be able to have an opportunity to really show his ability.”
Marbury didn’t stop there. While not quite breaking down James’ game, the 2-time All-Star reeled off the 19-year-old’s versatile skill set. He also noted the futility of using numbers to judge James, who he believes has all the necessary attributes to be successful.
“… His ability to get to the basket, shoot the basketball, pass the ball, and —one of the most impressive things— his shot-blocking, I think all of that is Grade A. You can’t go by how many points he’s scoring. How many assists [and] rebounds. You can’t really go by the statistics.
When I look at him as an NBA player, he has all of the qualities. He’s 6-foot-4… 210 [pounds]. He’s strong and he will get stronger and he’ll get better. His dad is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play. He has all of the equipment and he has the tools. Once he puts all of those things together, I think he’ll be fine.”
Marbury also addressed the idea of James returning to college for another year. Due to his unspectacular freshman season, draft experts believe James should declare for the 2025 NBA Draft. This has been perceived as a slight, even by LeBron James. After all, one-and-done prospects are considered the cream of the crop among draft prospects.
However, in assessing James’ future outlook, Marbury continued to offer a mature and measured response.
“Him staying in school for two years in not a bad thing. You got guys like [Hall of Fame guard] Allen Iverson. He played two years of college. So him playing two years of college is not bad.”
Iverson, as Marbury notes, did indeed play two seasons for the Georgetown Hoyas. A number of other future NBA stars played multiple seasons in college as well, from Dwyane Wade to Stephen Curry. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has even said two years of college is the best route for draft prospects. All of which begs the question of if there are unwieldy expectations for James.
