All eyes were on Bronny James in Chicago this week as the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James showed out at the NBA combine, which was hosted at Wintrust Arena.
James isn’t projected to land in the first round of the NBA draft. In fact, most mock drafts place him deep in the second round. But the continued eagerness of his father — a four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion — to play at least one season with his son has brought heightened attention to the 19-year-old’s future despite playing only 25 games for USC last season.
For Bronny, the NBA dream is a little bit different.
“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself and of course get to the NBA,” James said during combine media this week. “I never thought about playing with my dad — but of course, he’s brought it up a couple times.”
James is a different player from his father, flexing more of a three-and-D style of play. And he had a solid outing during Monday’s drills — posting a solid vertical with a 40-inch max and going 19-for-25 to finish second overall in 3-point shooting.
Terrence Shannon Jr. addresses his pending court case
The draft combine was a crucial moment for Illinois standout Terrence Shannon Jr., who addressed the media for the first time since his arrest in December. He faces one count of rape or an alternative count of felony aggravated sexual battery and is accused of assaulting a woman at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, last fall.
Shannon was suspended by Illinois for six games but was reinstated to the team after receiving a temporary restraining order against the university.
Before his arrest, Shannon was projected as a first-round pick and lived up to those expectations on the court in his final year with Illinois, averaging 23 points, four rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. But his NBA prospects have severely shifted due to his looming court date on June 10 — which is 16 days before the NBA draft. He did not participate in Monday’s drills or any 5-on-5 scrimmaging due to a sprained hamstring.
“Obviously it’s a real serious accusation and I’m aware of that,” Shannon said of the rape charge. “I can’t go into much detail about it but I’m focused on what I can control and that’s basketball and what I do on the court, in the weight room and with my family.”
Zach Edey out to prove himself
It might not seem like former Purdue standout Zach Edey has much to prove heading into the NBA draft — after all, he’s a two-time NCAA Player of the Year who led the Boilermakers to their first Final Four in four decades. But starring at the collegiate level is much different than landing a spot in the NBA.
“I’m the college player of the year, but I’m going to the NBA,” Edey said. “You’ve got to leave all that behind. Now I’m an NBA player. I have to reestablish myself.”
Edey made the most of his combine outing this week. His physical testing proved all of the tangible differences that make him stand out from the rest of the 2024 draft class — he weighed in at 299 pounds, measured 7-foot-5 in shoes and recorded a wingspan close to 7-foot-11. And he was crucially efficient in the shooting drills during Monday’s session, going 14-for-25 from 3 and shooting 60% in his shots off the dribble. Edey also recorded a 31.5-inch vertical and ran the three-quarters sprint of the court in 3.51 seconds, two factors that might have helped to offset concerns about his agility matching up to NBA competition.
Devin Carter headlines combine drills
This was an improved year of participation in the NBA combine — both for drills on Monday and scrimmages on Tuesday and Wednesday — after plenty of players chose to sit out the event last year. And that reflects the reality of a lower-expectation draft class full of athletes still jockeying to make an impact on their draft stock.
Monday’s drills allowed teams to observe the outright physicality of the players in attendance. Devin Carter, Trentyn Flowers, Keshad Johnson and Reed Sheppard tied for the best maximum vertical jump with a 42-inch maximum.
Carter, a guard out of Providence, stood out in the physical drills, measuring the longest wingspan of any point guard (6-8.75) and finishing third in the 10.63-second agility drill before setting a record for the three-quarter court sprint at 2.87 seconds.
