Bronny James drafted by Lakers

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Do you seriously think we'd be talking about this if Bronny was named Smith?

Smith James?

Probably.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Smith James?

Probably.

How do you go from 4 PPG to the NBA?

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

How do you go from 4 PPG to the NBA?

Via extreme privilege and being a nepo baby

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

Via extreme privilege and being a nepo baby

I mean fine, it's one roster spot at the end of the bench and it won't last long and the Lakers can afford to pay him. But let's not pretend it's anything other than the above. Second round pick indeed.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

How do you go from 4 PPG to the NBA?

He was a 5 Star High School recruit and McDonald's All-American who suffered a serious cardiac event leading into his only season in college, which obviously set him back on his year in college.

Types of players like this get drafted all the time in the NBA, without ever even seeing the floor in college basketball.

Listen, nobody is claiming he would have gotten drafted without Lebron as his daddy. Just that it's not that big a deal...especially where he got drafted. 2nd rounders are either "projects" or shots in the dark to begin with. Sure, there's diamonds in the rough that emerge on occasion, but odds wise, that's the obvious exception, and not the rule.

Just scanning over Kwame Browns draft class in 2001 (which to be fair to Kwame, was a terrible class outside of Pau Gasol and Tony Parker), more then 90% of 2nd rounders (and a decent % of 1st rounders), either never saw the floor, or were below replacement level players (VORP) during their mostly short careers.

https://www.basketball-reference.com.../NBA_2001.html