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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
One of the biggest off-court college basketball mysteries ended over the weekend, with Bronny James announcing his commitment to USC. The Trojans had emerged as the favorite over the past couple of months, but with very little concrete information available and an incredibly quiet recruitment, it was unclear where James was going or when he planned to make a decision.
With James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, now in the fold, the conversation turns to how things might look on the court for Andy Enfield and the Trojans. On paper, the addition of James makes USC the Pac-12 favorite at this point in the offseason.
What will James bring to the table and how will he coexist on the floor with his new teammates?
Because of his father, James has had attention on him throughout his high school career. But he really opened eyes last spring and summer on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Strive for Greatness program. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 23 games, showing improvement as an outside shooter and adjusting to become more of a focal point in his team’s offense.
Coming out of last summer, one high-major college coach shared his scouting thoughts with ESPN:
“He showed more assertiveness as a scorer,” the coach said at the time. “Bronny actually plays with some similarities to his father — he plays high just like his dad does, he has a tremendous feel for throwing the ball ahead in transition. He keeps the ball hot, knows the right play to make and does so on time. He really moves his feet defensively and has the lateral quickness and strength to be a terrific on-ball, point-of-attack defender. The consistency of his jump shot still comes and goes, and he is not yet able to access his vertical athleticism in the half court.
“However, in transition or with a runway to the rim, Bronny has some pop. Where I would like to see him grow is as a one-on-one creator of his own offense. … I would like to see him settle into college and continue to grow more comfortable finding his own offense, but he’s a good, smart player.”
ESPN followed up with the same coach after James’ commitment, and he expressed
“Excellent on-ball defender,” he said. “Always plays with his head and eyes up, does a great job of throwing hit-ahead passes in transition. Continues to show growth as a standstill jump-shooter. Still doesn’t have much one-on-one creation off the bounce, but he’s a very good blend player that has a high-level understanding of how to play efficiently on both ends.”
James has played in front of college coaches and NBA scouts at a number of high-level events, from the grassroots circuit last summer to the Hoophall Classic in January to the McDonald’s All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit this spring. He didn’t disappoint at any of them, scoring in double figures in both all-star games and going for 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists at Hoophall.
“He’s a good two-way player,” another high-major college coach said. “Plays really hard. Has good energy out there on the floor. Over the last two years, he’s really improved as a shooter. Really good in the midrange. Does a good job of being the guy but also being a complementary piece, too. Getting teammates involved, being a role player. He’s a scorer, but he can also distribute.”
An NBA scout added, “His confidence grew. That, to me, was the biggest thing. His shooting is significantly better. It’s all catch-and-shoot, so his biggest area of improvement is going to be making shots off the move. Pull-ups, coming off screens, being ready to shoot. … He can get a swing pass and make a nice entry pass. You leave him open on a catch-and-shoot, he’ll destroy you.”
James will line up in the backcourt alongside Isaiah Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the country, and Boogie Ellis, the Trojans’ leading scorer at 17.7 points per game. Starter Tre White and Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year Reese Dixon-Waters both entered the transfer portal, which opens up a spot on the perimeter for James while still keeping versatile defender Kobe Johnson on the floor, too.
It’s a fairly ideal situation for James, who wouldn’t be ready to shoulder the load from day one in USC’s offense. Collier will have the ball in his hands most of the time, and he and Ellis will take the lion’s share of the shots. James will be able to come along at a more comfortable pace on the offensive end while also getting more space to operate in the half court.
“It helps a lot. He picked a good situation,” one NBA scout said. “You’re going to have the third-best perimeter defender guarding you, which is going to help with his ball handling. He’s a smart basketball player. He’s going to be able to drive and kick and make plays like that. And he can make shots. They’ve now got two guys who can drive and kick. Collier spends the first half feeling out the defense, and the second half he goes for the knockout. So he’ll set up Bronny, he’ll look for Bronny. And Bronny is good in transition, and he’s got two guys who can find him. It’ll very much accelerate his development.”
Collier is a truly elite playmaking point guard because of his vision and ability to play in the pick-and-roll, while Ellis averaged a career-high 3.1 assists last season. Since James’ best shooting from the perimeter comes out of catch-and-shoot situations, he should be able to effectively spot up for open shots. With Ellis standing at 6-foot-3, Collier at 6-4 and James at 6-3, the three guards should be interchangeable defensively.
“[Collier and Ellis] will do the majority of dribbling, playmaking, pick-and-roll play, but [James] helps them because he’s another guy who quickly moves the basketball, can effectively play without many dribbles and will take on the assignment of the best offensive player at the 1 or 2,” a college coach said. “He can certainly coexist, and it will probably allow him to play to his strengths.”