NBA Draft: Bronny James Keeps His Name In The Draft, Now What?

As the deadline to keep one's name submitted to the upcoming NBA draft approaches, it’s official, according to Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who told ESPN:  "He's staying in the draft." 

Ready or not, it appears Bronny James's move to the NBA is actually going to happen. If you happened to catch James playing at USC last season, you most likely would have come to the conclusion that James needs more time to develop and is certainly not ready to be a full-time player in the association.

Still, imagine being James. You had the medical scare last summer, spent the year playing for a bad USC basketball team, and now you can leapfrog your way into the NBA? What would you do?

Personally, I'd roll the dice, get myself into the association, and try to prove all the critics wrong.

Playing basketball at any level is about taking advantage of the opportunity that is in front of you. It appears James will have that opportunity—the question is, will he be ready to use it?

RICH PAUL TALKS:
"Bronny's [draft] range is wide," Paul told ESPN. "He's a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don't care where that team is -- it can be No. 1 or 58 -- [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team's strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That's why I'm not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that."

"We're still figuring it out," Paul told ESPN. "Many teams have called. It's a matter of hashing out workouts and figuring out who is real and who is not. There are only two or three teams that might take him. That's how I am going to approach that."

The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else," Paul told ESPN. "If they value him enough and he's there, that's great. If it's not the Lakers, that's great. I won't be mad if it's not. It's obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that's not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I'm not building on that.

"I'm not putting unrealistic expectations on Bronny. He's far from a finished product. But he has a hell of start. He's positioned well. ... I don't see him not getting drafted, but if it got to a point where the situations didn't make sense and we needed to go undrafted, that's fine."

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
Can Bronny play a few minutes in the NBA every other night? Sure, but the real question is, can Bronny turn into an impact player who logs significant minutes night in and night out in the NBA?

He certainly has enough skills to have a chance, but like in most sports, he will need to catch a break that allows him to play real, extended minutes. What's better for Bronny, sitting on the end of the bench watching Dad play and occasionally getting in during garbage time or playing real minutes for a team like the Charolotte Hornets?